President William Ruto has announced a progressive expansion of National Youth Service trainee (NYS) recruitment to 100,000 annually in the next five years beginning next year.

Speaking during the pass out parade for over 10,000 servicemen in Gilgil Nakuru County, President Ruto observed that this decision was anchored on creating a friendlier ecosystem for young people to thrive in the country.

''Recognizing the place of youths in national transformation in general, and that of NYS in powering the plan in particular, we have embarked on a strategic reengineering of the National Youth Service to enhance the capacity of the institution to take up a greater number of trainees,'' said president stated.

He added that this will enable the institution to position itself into the pathway of financial sustainability through revenue generation to the country.

President Ruto reiterated that the youth are a ticking time bomb which may explode into a myriad of social and political problems if not properly managed and absorbed into various systems where they can play a cardinal role in building the nation.

He maintained that through avenues such as the NYS, the government can harness the capabilities of the youth and make them be the drivers of economic change in the country.

''This standpoint perceives the runaway burden of our population as a singular opportunity to harness a demographic dividend by utilizing the youth as an agent of harmony and stability, frontline actors in combating various threats,'' he added.

The servicemen are set to be deployed to various areas where they will assist with Nation Building according to Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria.

The recruits will then proceed to joining various tertiary institutions in the country before being absorbed in different sectors in the public.