Beneficiaries of the National Youth Service (NYS) projects in Kisumu have finally bowed to biometric registration system ahead of the commencement of the projects.
The over 4, 000 cohorts who had been working on the NYS projects in Nyalenda, Manyatta and Obunga slums yesterday turned up in large numbers at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Western regional fresh biometric registration against the call by area leaders to boycott the exercise.
The exercise had been postponed one week ago after a section of leaders opposed to the projects advised the beneficiaries to keep off, claiming that the exercise was a Jubilee government strategy to rig the 2017 elections.
In the new registration, the cohorts were expected to provide their biodata which include the finger prints and facial features.
Nyalenda B Member of County Assembly James Were and his Railways counterpart Isaiah Onyango had last week admitted to 'advising their people' to keep off' the exercise after doubting its credibility.
The two leaders who spoke to The Standard on phone, in their capacities as leaders of the areas covered by the NYS projects, said the biometric registration was questionable and its timing had to be substantiated by the before they could approve it.
"We are the leaders of the youths involved in the NYS projects and we ought to have been consulted in the new move. There are several issues which have not been addressed concerning the project, for example the contributions to the Sacco which have to be addressed first," said Were.
"Why use the biometric registration? Why now? Let the youths open their own bank accounts, but if there has to be the new registration then let there be consultations," said Onyango.
The mix up led to the indefinite postponement of the exercise, but was again confirmed on Friday with the registration kicking off on Saturday.
One of the registration supervisors who is not allowed to speak to the media had confirmed that they received information on the allegations and had to clarify to the beneficiaries the reasons for the introduction of the biometric system.
The supervisor said the turn up was good, an indication that the beneficiaries were eager to start the works which stalled last year after corruption allegations hit the Ministry of Devolution and the National Youth Service.
"In the past we had issues of people registering their kins but earning on their behalf, but with the biometric system we want to curb any irregularities. Biometric system is the norm these days and nobody should incite the cohorts," said the supervisor.
The works are expected to resume in two weeks where the cohorts are expected to complete the segments of the project; which include the construction of police stations, hospitals, water kiosks, roads and posh mills which they will manage through their Sacco.
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They will also be trained on investment and be loaned through the sacco to start individual and group businesses in a bid to empower them financially, to reduce dependence and crime which has been the norm in most slums due to high rates of youth unemployment.
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