Nairobi — The enrollment of the National Youth Service will be doubled from next year with 80 percent of future National Youth Service (NYS) recruits being recruited in the national security services.
President William Ruto said the move was aimed at expanding enrollment into NYS as an agency to capture young people at the bottom of the pyramid anchored on the bottom-up economic models.
"Consequently, we are doubling enrolment to 40,000 in the Service from next year, and have made it absolutely mandatory that every village, centre, town and city in Kenya is properly represented in the recruitment," President Ruto indicated.
During the State of the Nation Address in the joint sitting of National Assembly and Senate, the President said his administration has been imperative not to use security forces in misuse of resources and extrajudicial infringements.
"I am therefore quite clear that there exists no tension between the effective delivery of security services and the upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms. We can be and therefore must be secure, yet free and democratic," the head of state noted.
This comes days after Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria said National Police Service and Kenya Wildlife Service recruitment will be done exclusively from the National Youth Service.
Kuria also noted that the National Youth Service is set to undergo a transformation, becoming a mandatory leadership college for young people aspiring to enter public service and disciplined forces.
Simultaneously, it will serve as the contractor of choice for government projects, recruiting 100,000 youths directly every year and creating an ecosystem of one million indirect jobs.
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On security, the President said they have taken firm and decisive measures to deal with the challenge of banditry, armed crime, cattle rustling and other forms of impunity in all parts of our country.
"Beginning with the successful security operation to restore calm in the North Rift, we have been systematic, focused, thorough, unrelenting and totally committed to removing for good all threats to the lives and livelihoods of Kenyans," said Ruto.
He admitted that the country has had its share of security challenges with the spectre of terrorism a continuing threat with pockets of banditry, cattle-rustling and armed lawlessness having besieged and devastated communities in parts of the country.
"The government exists to ensure that those who challenge our sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and the safety of the people are expeditiously countered and rendered harmless for all time," President Ruto noted.
