NAKURU, Kenya – The government has approved Sh6.4 billion to expand and re-engineer National Youth Service (NYS) training infrastructure as it prepares to accommodate up to 50,000 recruits at a time.
The investment is expected to finance additional classrooms, barracks, kitchens, workshops and administrative facilities across the country as the government works to match the planned expansion of the NYS with adequate infrastructure and human-resource capacity.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku announced the plans on Friday during the passing-out parade of more than 15,000 recruits at the NYS Paramilitary Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
“We are on course as far as that presidential directive is concerned,” Ruku said, referring to plans to increase annual NYS recruitment to 100,000 by 2028.
New Training Centres Considered
The government is also considering establishing additional NYS training facilities in marginalised and underserved areas, including Marsabit and other parts of northern Kenya.
Ruku said the move would expand access to NYS training and create opportunities for young people from pastoralist and marginalised communities to acquire skills suited to local economic needs.
He cited water management, livestock production, enterprise development and other technical competencies among the areas that could benefit local communities.
Ruku directed the NYS Council to engage communities and county governments to ensure the proposed projects are implemented in a coordinated and sustainable manner.
More Than 15,000 Recruits Graduate
More than 15,000 recruits graduated after completing six months of paramilitary training.
The cohort comprised 11,527 male recruits, 3,835 female recruits and 15 recruits with disabilities.
The graduates will join thousands of NYS alumni who have transitioned into government programmes and secured employment opportunities in Kenya and abroad.
Ruku said 12,760 NYS alumni have moved into vetted employment opportunities since 2024, including 5,720 who secured placements in the United Kingdom, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.
He said the initiative complements the government’s Kazi Majuu labour mobility programme, which seeks to connect suitably skilled Kenyans with employment opportunities outside the country.
NYS Expands Development Role
Ruku also highlighted the NYS’s contribution to environmental conservation and infrastructure projects.
He said more than 71.8 million trees had been planted through NYS programmes since 2022, while personnel had participated in roadworks, river restoration and other environmental interventions under initiatives such as Climate Worx.
NYS personnel have also been involved in disaster response, including rebuilding 56 homes destroyed by landslides in Chesongoch, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Others are supporting agricultural activities, including cultivation of 3,000 acres in the Tana Basin.
Public Service and Human Capital Development Principal Secretary Jane Kere Imbunya said the training had equipped graduates with technical and vocational skills and prepared them for deployment in national development programmes.
“The National Youth Service indeed remains an important instrument for fostering disciplined, skilled and patriotic young Kenyans,” she said.
28,824 NYS Personnel Deployed
NYS Director General James Kipsiele Tembur urged the graduates to maintain discipline, serve with integrity and uphold the organisation’s values.
Ministry data shows that 28,824 NYS servicemen and servicewomen have been deployed across the country to support infrastructure development, environmental conservation, security and community development programmes.
A further 15,364 personnel remain in active training as the government works to expand the service’s capacity.
