NAIROBI, Kenya- The David Maraga-led taskforce recommended wide-ranging reforms at the National Youth Service (NYS), citing underfunding, corruption, weak leadership and inadequate systems as some of the challenges affecting the organisation.
The National Taskforce on Improvement of the Terms and Conditions of Service and Other Reforms for Members of the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service presented its final report to President William Ruto on November 16, 2023.
The taskforce was mandated to examine the legal, policy, administrative, institutional and operational challenges affecting the three services and review the welfare and terms and conditions of service of their members.
On NYS, the taskforce found that inadequate funding had affected the organisation’s ability to fulfil its mandate, particularly its programmes for training and empowering young people.
The report recommended that NYS be provided with seed capital for income-generating projects to enable it to generate additional revenue and reduce its dependence on government funding.
The taskforce also identified corruption as a major challenge within the service. It said corruption had affected areas including recruitment, procurement, management and the implementation of NYS projects.
The report further recommended reforms to the governance and management structure of NYS, including competitive recruitment of members of the NYS Council and senior management.
The taskforce proposed that the Director-General and Deputy Directors-General be competitively recruited to strengthen professionalism and accountability within the organisation.
It also recommended changes to the recruitment of NYS service members. The taskforce proposed that recruits should have at least a KCSE certificate, while recruitment should give priority to young people with the skills required by the service.
The report further recommended that NYS recruits be drawn from among ex-servicemen and women, with the aim of strengthening discipline, training and professionalism within the organisation.
The taskforce also proposed that NYS members be recognised in law so that they could receive benefits including insurance and other employment-related entitlements.
On training, the report recommended strengthening the technical and vocational training component of NYS to ensure young people acquire skills that can improve their employment and income-generating opportunities after completing national service.
The taskforce also examined the organisation’s commercial activities and farms, recommending measures to improve their management and profitability.
It said systemic corruption had affected NYS farms and equipment and called for stronger systems to protect the organisation’s assets and improve accountability.
The taskforce further recommended improvements to the welfare and working conditions of NYS personnel, including better remuneration, housing, medical care and other benefits.
The NYS recommendations formed one of the three main sections of the Maraga taskforce report, alongside reforms proposed for the National Police Service and Kenya Prisons Service. The report identified underfunding, endemic corruption, leadership challenges, poor human-capital management and structural weaknesses as common problems affecting the three services.
The taskforce said addressing these challenges would provide a basis for transforming NYS into a more effective institution for youth training, national service and skills development.
