President Uhuru Kenyatta’s challenge to then-incoming director-general of the National Youth Service (NYS), Matilda Sakwa, in September 2018, seems to have borne fruits one year later based on the profits recorded by the service.
On Friday, December 6, Kenyatta praised the institution's new governing council for what he described as strengthening management systems that have led to improved financial controls, oversight and supervision of the service.
In a statement sent to newsrooms by the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU), the head of state said policy changes enabled NYS to save money and generate nearly Ksh500 million in revenue since January 2019.
Kenyatta was speaking when he presided over a passing-out parade of 11,730 recruits of the National Youth Service, in Gilgil, Nakuru County
He further said that the NYS has been able to overcome its past challenges and emerged to become an integral part of Kenya's youth and national development including providing support for the realization of the Big 4 Agenda.
“I note with satisfaction the positive reports from the private sector, which validate our assurances to investors that NYS offers disciplined, dependable, skilled, competent and vibrant youth, whose work exhibits the highest standards of work ethic and commitment to duty,” the president said.
Public Service CS Prof Margaret Kobia said the new NYS management council was undertaking reforms to align the institute with the government’s development priorities including Big 4 Agenda and Vision 2030.
Among the success stories discussed during the forum is one where the NYS management partnered with other government agencies to establish the 2nd largest potato seeds production unit in Africa at the institution's Tumaini field unit in Nyandarua County.
The project is intended to enable Kenyan farmers to access certified seeds easily and at a reasonable price thus contributing towards the achievement of the food security pillar of the Big 4 Agenda.
He said high quality and depth of feedback gotten from the youth as captured in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) process underscores the need to directly involve the youth in nation-building for their development and prosperity.
In appreciation of the role NYS servicemen and women play in nation-building, the president announced a government plan to offer capitation to the next recruits who will be enrolled in Technical and Vocational Training Institute’s (TVETs).
