Public Service CS Ruku announces plan to commercialise NYS

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has announced plans to commercialise the National Youth Service (NYS) in a bid to make the agency self-sustaining, productive, and a key player in Kenya’s industrial and economic transformation.

Appearing before the Senate, Ruku said the initiative seeks to align NYS operations with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and Vision 2030 by turning its production units into competitive, income-generating enterprises.

Under the plan, NYS will establish a new commercial arm — the National Youth Service Enterprises and Services Company — to manage ventures in mechanised construction, agriculture, agro-processing, textile and garment manufacturing, hospitality, and security services.

Ruku said the initiative is projected to generate up to Ksh.4 billion annually, enabling the government to reduce NYS’s Ksh.10 billion training budget by about 40 per cent and lessen reliance on the Exchequer.

“The idea is to transform NYS production units into competitive, self-sustaining enterprises. This is a new business model, a new way of thinking, that gives NYS a professional and competitive advantage,” Ruku told senators.

The CS assured that the commercialisation process will uphold transparency and accountability, with multiple oversight institutions — including the Auditor-General, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission — monitoring operations to ensure integrity.

Ruku further emphasised that the NYS mandate under the NYS Act will remain intact, focusing on youth training and national service, while the new entity will handle its commercial functions.

He said the government aims to unlock NYS’s full economic potential by leveraging its vast land, equipment, and skilled manpower to create jobs, promote youth entrepreneurship, and boost national productivity.

“The commercialisation is about people, not just profit. Our goal is to empower thousands of young Kenyans through training, apprenticeship, and enterprise incubation,” Ruku said, expressing confidence that the reforms would restore public trust and make NYS a cornerstone of Kenya’s industrialisation agenda.