President Uhuru Kenyatta allows recruitment of 2,000 more youths to NYS-run programme

Youth working on a drainage system at Nyalenda, Kisumu County in the ongoing Youth Empowerment Programme launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently. [PHOTO:KEVINE OMOLLO/STANDARD]

KISUMU: Two thousand more youth are to benefit from National Youth Service (NYS) projects after President Uhuru Kenyatta authorised the recruitment.

The youth aged between 18 and 35 years will from today be picked from Manyatta estate in a rigorous exercise to be managed by the NYS and community representatives.

The number adds to 4,000 others recruited at the beginning of the year when Uhuru and MP Ken Obura launched the programme.

The youths will be engaged in general cleaning, opening of drainage, construction of ablution blocks, clinics, police posts, posho mills, poultry units, fish ponds and model houses in Manyatta slums.

Last week President Kenyatta promised to extend the coverage of the youth services to all slums in Kisumu after calls by residents to empower the youth.

The President's directive to expand the projects came barely a month after the extension of the youth projects by one year in Nyalenda and Obunga slums.

Obunga and Manyatta slum projects are expected to see the construction of 23 ablution blocks, 23 clinics, 23 police posts, 23 posho mills, 23 poultry units, 13 fish ponds and 23 model houses before February next year.

EXTENDED TIME FRAME

Addressing residents along Oginga Odinga Street, Uhuru promised to empower more youths by expanding the capacity of the services and extending time limits by one year from the previous six months.

Mr Obura called on the residents to come out in large numbers and take up the opportunities presented by the Government, saying the project was one way of solving unemployment in the area.

The MP told residents to view the projects as opportunities from the Government and not as political goodies.

"We appreciate what the Government is doing and I hope this project will work to narrow the unemployment gap in the area.

This is just one of the many ways we are working out to empower the youths hence they need to embrace it," he said.

He added: "The teams from the community and NYS are working on the logistics and modalities of selecting the youths to participate in the programme. We have already sensitised the residents and they fully understand the benefits of the projects."

With the introduction of the lunch programme, the youths have welcomed the projects saying many unemployed youths can now put food on the table.

The project has seen beauty return to Kisumu's slums with idleness, insecurity and the foul smell which engulfed the estates slowly becoming history.

The youths earn Sh471 per day payable every Friday in addition to being registered in Saccos where they are expected to own and manage some of the projects.

"We are very grateful that the President heeded to our call of expanding the capacity of the project and more youths can now benefit," said Omondi Ojwang, a resident of Dago in Nyamasaria.