President William Ruto has announced an ambitious plan to expand the National Youth Service (NYS) and scale up youth employment programmes across the country, targeting hundreds of thousands of young people with new opportunities.
The Head of State revealed that NYS recruitment will grow significantly from 18,000 to 100,000 young people within the next three years. He said the expansion reflects NYS’s growing role in skills training, job creation, and addressing unemployment.
“NYS is becoming a productive enterprise in agriculture, engineering, construction, textiles, and hospitality,” Ruto said on Thursday during the 89th recruits’ passing-out parade at the NYS Paramilitary Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County. More than 18,000 recruits – the largest cohort in NYS history – graduated after completing six months of intensive training.
“NYS is already producing maize meal, cooking oil, and fruit products, cutting costs, and generating revenue. Soon, NYS will also award nationally and internationally recognised qualifications.” Ruto added.
The President directed the Ministry of Interior to absorb 4,000 NYS graduates into the National Police Service during the next recruitment exercise for 10,000 officers. He also highlighted reforms to digitise NYS operations through the Jobs Portal and Equipment Hiring Platform, alongside new centres of excellence such as the Leather Technology Institute.
At the same time, Ruto pointed to wider government initiatives to fight unemployment. These include ClimateWorx Mtaani, which currently employs 45,000 young people in the Nairobi River Regeneration project, with numbers expected to grow to 113,000 after expansion to counties.
He said the Affordable Housing Programme will double its workforce from 320,000 to 640,000, while the Kandarasi Mtaani initiative will create 200,000 more jobs in housing and markets.
Ruto encouraged youth to embrace the government’s labour mobility programme, which has already linked 400,000 Kenyans to jobs abroad. He noted that in the past year alone, KSh244 million enabled 2,300 youth to take up jobs in Canada, Germany, and Gulf States.
To support them, he said the Uwezo Fund and the Youth Enterprise Development Fund are covering air tickets, visas, and settlement expenses, in addition to providing pre-departure training and certification.
“In the past year, KSh244 million has enabled 2,300 youth to take up these international jobs,” he said.
Ruto added that the government is negotiating more labour agreements with other countries to expand opportunities for skilled, tech-savvy youth to thrive globally.
He also announced the Nyota programme, which will provide 100,000 youth in every ward with KSh50,000 start-up capital. “Next month, the first batch of 54,000 young men and women will receive these funds and begin their training,” he said.
The President added that NYS facilities, including hostels, will be expanded and upgraded. Urging the graduates to aim higher, he declared: “I challenge you, as I do all Kenyans today: We must rise above the average, and dare to embrace greatness.”
