Government to spend Sh4 billion on NYS commercial arm amid legal hurdles
Although President William Ruto directed in March 2023 that the annual youth intake be increased from 10,000 to 100,000, the ministry noted that its current budget only accommodates 10,000 recruits.
It will cost the government Sh4 billion to launch a commercial arm for the National Youth Service (NYS), according to the Ministry of Public Service and Human Capital Development.
Deputy Head of Public Service Amos Gathecha revealed this week that the ministry has set up a special commercial entity aimed at aligning NYS services with market demands.
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However, the plan is currently stalled as the Office of the Attorney General has not yet approved the NYS Commercial Enterprises, the vehicle through which services will be sold.
The government has earmarked Sh250 million as the first tranche of seed funding for the initiative, with an additional Sh250 million expected once the new entity is formally registered.
This funding is part of a broader strategy to make NYS self-sustaining by the 2027–28 financial year.
"This is an ambitious program that requires close collaboration with various stakeholders, and it must be actualised urgently," Gathecha stated.
Newly appointed Public Service Principal Secretary Jane Imbunya, who succeeded Gathecha, added that the commercialisation of NYS will also involve a significant overhaul of its training syllabus.
She highlighted the need to move away from the purely paramilitary approach and ensure the training courses meet private-sector demands.
"For NYS, we are reviewing the training programme in terms of both duration and content to make sure they are relevant and of high quality," Imbunya explained.
Imbunya challenged NYS leadership to adopt digital tools. She has asked Commandant General James Tembur to submit a plan for the digitisation of learning, particularly focusing on establishing a learning management system.
"I want the NYS Commandant General to present plans on how learning can be digitised and what is being done to put in place a learning management system," Imbunya said.
Although President William Ruto directed in March 2023 that the annual youth intake be increased from 10,000 to 100,000, the ministry noted that its current budget only accommodates 10,000 recruits.
Without additional revenue streams, scaling up would result in underfunding.
Ministry officials stressed the need to expedite legal approvals for the commercial entity to meet both training and recruitment targets.
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