The National Youth Service (NYS) was established in 1964 to train Kenyan youths on important skills according to the NYS Act, Cap 208. Up to the 1980’s all youths joining Kenya’s public universities were required to join NYS before joining university campus. This was later changed and nowadays recruits enroll on voluntary basis.
In 2015, the NYS was involved in a corruption scandal which led to the resignation of the then Cabinet Secretary for Devolution, Ms Ann Waiguru and Nelson Githinji, the then Director General.
The National Youth Service has been on the limelight due to corruption allegations. I now take this chance to highlight some facts about the agency.
Budget
In the national budget estimates, NYS will be allocated a total of Ksh. 16.1 billion in FY 2018/2019 which is higher than Ksh. 15.8 billion allocated to the agency in FY 2017/2018.
This is an increase of Ksh. 300 million from the current year (2017/2018). On page 655 of the national programme based budget FY 2018/2019, the national government is planning to expand youth empowerment to all counties and enroll 90,000 youths in the National Youth Service (NYS).
The NYS Engineering Institute in Ruaraka is planning to train 3,300 Engineering diploma graduates in Financial Year 2018/2019.
A further, 4,500 secretarial graduates will be trained at the NYS Secretarial College in Ruaraka during the year under focus.
The National Youth Service (NYS) has a catering school where they are planning to train 2,500 students in FY 2018/2019.
A total of 30,000 youths will be trained on paramilitary skills in FY 2018/2019 by the NYS Training Units.
| NO | FINANCIAL YEAR | BUDGET |
| 1. | 2018/2019 | Ksh. 16.1 billion |
| 2. | 2017/2018 | Ksh. 15.8 billion |
| 3. | 2016/2017 | |
| 4. | 2015/2016 | Ksh. 16.2 Billion |
Services offered by NYS
a) Vector Control
b) Dams control
c) road construction
d) slums civil work
e) Huduma Kitchens
f) Traffic control
g) Public Security
h) Agribusiness
i) Service Constabulary
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