Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has announced that the national government will recruit 30,000 youths for the National Youth Service (NYS) this year.
In the previous year, the government enlisted 20,000 youths, with 10,000 recruited in January and an additional 10,000 in July.
Kuria stated that the first phase of the recruitment will take place this month, with the second phase scheduled for July.
The CS further mentioned that President Ruto has issued a directive to ensure that 30 percent of all recruitments in the disciplined forces are sourced from NYS.
“Don’t think this is the NYS that existed before. If you miss out on the chance to be recruited, don’t go after your political leaders to ask them for help to be recruited in the forces,” he said.
CS Kuria added that recruits will undergo training for four to six months before individuals eligible for various forces, such as the army, police, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and Kenya Forest Service (KFS), are selected.
To eliminate corruption from the recruitment process, Kuria explained that interested youths must register through eCitizen once the recruitments are announced. Subsequently, they will utilize their registration numbers to access the recruitment venues.
“This will help track the number of youths who registered against the number picked. NYS is the only department where all 1,450 wards in the country will benefit.”
The CS mentioned that upon recruitment, the youths would have access to employment opportunities both within the country and overseas. He added that he has toured various countries to explore job opportunities for the youths, and this week, he will be overseeing the departure of a group of 200 youths—100 to Israel and another 100 to Kuwait.
“Joining NYS is a one-way traffic. There will be no going back to the village. Either you get a job opportunity locally or abroad,” Kuria said.
The CS extended an appeal to Kenyans, urging them to grant the Kenya Kwanza administration the necessary time to address challenges despite the prevailing economic hardships.
“Life is hard but I know you still have faith in Kenya Kwanza. A pitiful doctor does not treat. We have to get things in order and it will take time.” Kuria stated.
