The Government has allocated Sh6.4 billion to re-engineer and expand training infrastructure for the National Youth Service (NYS) as it moves to increase the number of young people recruited into the Service to 100,000 by 2028.
This is according to Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, who presided over the pass-out parade of 15,361 NYS recruits at the NYS Paramilitary Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, on Friday on behalf of the President.
CS Ruku said the allocation is expected to fund the construction and expansion of classrooms, workshops, barracks, kitchens and administration facilities across the country to accommodate the growing number of recruits.
He said the infrastructure expansion is intended to ensure that the increase in recruitment is matched by adequate facilities, equipment and human resource capacity.
President William Ruto had earlier directed that NYS recruitment should progressively increase towards 100,000 young people by 2028, setting the stage for a major expansion of the Service.
According to CS Ruku, under the new investment programme, the expanded NYS infrastructure will have the capacity to accommodate and equip approximately 50,000 servicemen and women at any given time.
He said the expansion will also strengthen technical and vocational training within NYS, allowing recruits to graduate with practical skills alongside discipline and character, improving the employability of young people by equipping them with competencies relevant to the labour market.
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“Technical and vocational training will expand alongside this infrastructure so that young people do not merely graduate with discipline and character, but also with practical competencies that are relevant to the labour market. The Government seeks to reposition NYS as a platform for youth development, skills training and national service,” he said.
The Government is equally committed to ensuring that opportunities offered through the National Youth Service reach young people across the country, including those living in marginalised and underserved areas.
Mr Ruku said discussions on establishing an NYS presence in Marsabit and other northern parts of the country were important in expanding access to skills development and national service opportunities.
He said such an institution would provide young people from pastoralist and marginalised communities with skills tailored to the needs of their local economies, including water management, livestock production, enterprise development and other technical competencies.
He encouraged the NYS Council and management to continue engaging the Marsabit County Government, local leaders and communities to ensure the initiative progresses in a coordinated and sustainable manner.
Beyond training facilities, CS Ruku said the Government is also supporting the construction of housing for NYS staff under the Affordable Housing Programme, with developments already under way at Gilgil, Mavoloni, the Nairobi Holding Unit and Mombasa, with further expansion planned across the Service.
He noted that the housing programme is part of efforts to improve living and working conditions for NYS personnel as the Service expands.
The Government is also seeking to expand employment opportunities for NYS alumni, with CS Ruku saying at least 12,760 former recruits have transitioned into vetted employment opportunities since the employment pathways programme was launched in 2024.
Of this number, 5,720 have secured placements in the United Kingdom, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.
Mr Ruku said the outcomes complement the Government’s Labour Mobility Programme, Kazi Majuu, which seeks to enable suitably skilled Kenyans to access employment opportunities abroad through orderly, transparent and government-supported channels.
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“At the same time, our focus remains firmly on expanding opportunities within Kenya. Our ambition must be to build an economy capable of providing productive opportunities for our young people in their own counties and communities,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said NYS was also playing an increasingly important role in environmental conservation, with its programmes contributing to the planting of more than 71.8 million trees since 2022.
He said the Service’s 22 tree nurseries have the capacity to propagate approximately 50 million seedlings annually, supporting the country’s national tree-growing ambition.
Mr Ruku urged NYS to deepen collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service, county governments and localcommunities to expand nursery capacity and ensure adequate supplies of quality seedlings.
He said the Service’s environmental interventions go beyond tree planting, with initiatives such as Climate WorX involving NYS personnel in opening roads, restoring rivers and undertaking other projects aimed at strengthening community resilience.
The CS also cited the Service’s role in responding to disasters and national emergencies, including ongoing reconstruction work in Chesongoch, Elgeyo Marakwet County, where NYS personnel are rebuilding homes destroyed by landslides.
Of the 56 houses targeted for reconstruction, between 80 and 90 per cent had been completed, with the first units already handed over to affected families in Emsoo Ward.
Mr Ruku said the Government expects NYS to strengthen and institutionalise its rapid-response capacity to enable it to deploy personnel effectively during disasters and other national emergencies.
“A national service means being present when communities face their most difficult moments, providing practical assistance and remaining committed until the work is completed,” he said.
Agriculture is another area where the Government wants NYS to expand its contribution, with Mr Ruku highlighting growing cooperation between the Service and the National Irrigation Authority.
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He said the partnership includes a programme to bring 3,000 acres under cultivation in the Tana Basin, as part of efforts to increase food production and strengthen drought preparedness.
The expansion of potato seed multiplication in Turbo and the establishment of a Fodder Production, Processing and Reserve Centre in the Tana Basin are also expected to support food security and improve the resilience of communities in arid and semi-arid areas.
NYS Commandant General James Tembur said that the 15,361 graduates included 21 recruits with disabilities, demonstrating that the Service is open to every Kenyan willing to serve the country.
Mr Tembur urged the graduates to remain disciplined, serve with integrity, uphold NYS values and be patriotic citizens.
“We thank the President for instituting the NYS task force on terms and conditions of service for officers and for supporting the expansion of infrastructure within the Service. This intervention has greatly boosted the morale of our officers,” he said.
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