President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned 7,000 National Youth Servicemen and women for a countrywide national youth empowerment exercise.
The servicemen and women will be deployed across the country to implement programmes aimed at building foundations for prosperity.
They will be engaged in improving informal settlements; building water pans and drilling boreholes in arid and semi-arid land areas; and carry out vector control programmes among other activities.
Uhuru flagged off trucks and other equipment for the national empowerment programme at State House, Nairobi on Monday.
He said the NYS personnel will work alongside 70,000 community youth in the communities where they will be engaged in improving livelihoods.
“The 7,000 servicemen and women will mentor ten more youth each, bringing 70,000 community beneficiaries in their areas of operation,” the President said.
He told Members of Parliament to work with NYS in identifying youths in their constituencies for the national programme, asking them not to “go for their own” but to recruit those qualified.
Uhuru said the youth empowerment programme piloted in Kibera was a success. Youth in Kibera have managed to pool over Sh150 million in savings for their future, he added.
“The programme will also instill a sense of patriotism among the young generation,” the President said.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said the 7,000 youth are the first batch trained under the rebranded National Youth Service.
The NYS, Waiguru said, was restructured under a five-plan framework to realise the vision of catalysing transformative youth empowerment in the country.
She said the empowerment programme was in line with the government policy to promote a culture of entrepreneurship among the youth.
The commissioning was witnessed by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, First lady Margaret Kenyatta, retired President Mwai Kibaki, Deputy President William Ruto and senior government officials.
Source- the-star.co.ke
