Give NYS room to achieve its noble goals

NAIROBI: When he presided over the passing out parade of the National Youth Service (NYS) on Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta was unequivocal — those responsible for bleeding dry this institution dry and stealing its resources would be held to account.

This message must have resonated well with those who have watched this institution’s name dragged through the mud as those responsible for managing it devised all manner of schemes to enrich themselves by inflating the cost of goods and services of supplied to the NYS in contravention of the law.
Formed in 1964 through an Act of Parliament, the para-military unit trains youths it has conscripted to take part in reconstruction projects and respond to disasters when the need arises. The government revamped the service in 2014 and sought to engage it in more projects, many of them civilian projects. Some involved the clearing of drains, and building of toilets and other social amenities in shantytowns — all very noble activities. It is during the procurement of supplies for this expanded mandate that reports of corruption began to emerge.