National Youth Service Director General Matilda Sakwa on Wednesday, April 19, served her final day in office after four years.
A parade was conducted to mark her years of service and to grant the DG a befitting sendoff.
"Finally the day is here and I'm grateful to His Almighty for the time and opportunity at the NYS," she stated.
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At the beginning of 2018, the country had lost over Ksh13 billion to corruption, with the National Youth Service (NYS) featuring prominently after it was hit by a Ksh467 million scam.
Amid the uncertain times, President Uhuru Kenyatta picked Matilda Sakwa to clean up the mess and restore dignity to the service. She succeeded Richard Ndubai, former NYS Deputy General who was let go due to corruption allegations.
A no-nonsense police officer, with over three decades of experience, instantly made history by becoming the first female NYS service commander.
"(Before I was appointed)I used to watch the NYS scandals and wonder what is happening at the service, thinking that they were mad. Little did I know that I would be picked to run the affairs of the service," she told NTV.
At first, Sakwa declined the offer, thinking that she would be the scapegoat for a looming graft scandal. She, however, decided to take the job as a challenge and restore its pride.
"What I thought was I did not want to be arrested, but they insisted that they would send the three names to President Uhuru Kenyatta who would ultimately choose the person fit for the task," she stated.
"When I was been sworn in, Uhuru noted that despite him appointing Deputy IG, I was the first female service commander and I assured him that I would not let this country down," she added.
Left with a daunting task to tame further corruption, Sakwa fought the perception that NYS is still a cash cow where individuals supplied air and walked away with millions.
"People still believe that NYS has a lot of money. Every day when I come to work, there will be three to five people coming to me, wanting to either tender or procure something and I affirm to them that the service lacks money and if there is money, we have plans."
"NYS had a budget of Ksh25 billion but when I came in, it was reduced to Ksh8 billion. There is also a backlog of pending bills brought about by the NYS II scandal. Any organisation that can fail is because of procurement issues ie KEMSA, hence I need to stick to the law and do the right thing."
Reminiscing about her decision to join the service, she had to ditch her longtime pursuit of the law profession- a decision that she doesn't regret. She currently holds a Masters in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies and an undergraduate degree in sociology and religious studies from the University of Nairobi (UoN).
"I had plans to do law and become a lawyer, but what changed is when my father came in with a lady who was in full police attire and it piqued my interest."
She noted that her ranking has inspired women into other positions of leadership, a fact that she holds dear to her heart.
"I want them to believe in themselves and to also ensure that by the time I am leaving work, structures are there and people do what they ought to do. Therefore, if you're passionate about what you do, things will never go wrong."
"There are so many women looking up to me to ensure that I succeed. If I was to fail, they will not say another one, they will say women cannot lead hence the few who are in the powerful position ought to be cautious all the time and do your best at all times."
Her notable achievement was when she was ranked among the top CEOs in Africa due to her exemplary work in NYS in 2021.
