Team to review Bill to give NYS recruits jobs in police

Rain-drenched NYS graduates during their pass-out parade at Gilgil College on September 10. A new Bill seeks to have them given priority during police and military recruitment. [PHOTO: BONIFACE THUKU/STANDARD]

NAIROBI, KENYA: A Senate committee will review a Bill that seeks to make sure the thousands of graduates from the National Youth Service (NYS) are given priority in the next round of recruitment of police officers, game wardens, soldiers and spies.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, Stewart Madzayo (Kilifi), Wednesday told The Standard that the National Youth Service (Amendment) Bill 2014 was before his committee and the team would work on it next week, just seven days before Senate resumes.

The Bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Beatrice Elachi.

It seeks to have the NYS devolved to all 47 counties to ensure that there is a semblance of parity in the recruitment of youths from all over the country into the service. Currently, NYS has training units in Nairobi, Gilgil, Mombasa, Turbo, Marsabit, Yatta and Naivasha.

Ms Elachi's Bill says all the trained youths, on completing their training at NYS, will have to be given the first chance as long as they meet all the other qualifications prescribed by the National Police Service, the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Intelligence Service, and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

"Subject to such qualifications as may be applicable, the national security organs shall give priority to the members of the Service in recruitment exercises by the security organs," the Bill reads in part.

Environment Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe said KWS had already walked into NYS and picked 566 youths to serve as rangers in an effort to boost the fight against poaching.

NYS will in the current financial year use the Sh22.4 billion allocated to it to recruit 22,000 youths in a two-phase exercise.

Elachi's push to amend the law means that the push to employ more police officers to fight runaway crime may be met.

A brief on the NYS Bill prepared for the senators and seen by The Standard touts the proposal as a way to reduce unemployment, fight crime, curb drug abuse and boost the youths' entrepreneurial skills.

NYS has been given a new look in a bid to revamp its 50-year-old tainted image.