Ruto Unveils Major NYS Expansion Plan
Ruto made the announcement on Thursday, August 28, 2025, having attended the NYS Recruits Passing-Out Parade at the Paramilitary Academy
The President reported the current NYS intake at around 20,000 per year. PHOTO/@WilliamsRuto/X
By Juliet Jerotich
President William Ruto has unveiled a massive transformation of the National Youth Service (NYS). He stated that the government would recruit 100,000 young people into the system by 2028. This will be the biggest expansion ever in NYS history.
Ruto made the announcement on Thursday, August 28, 2025, having attended the NYS Recruits Passing-Out Parade at the Paramilitary Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County. The plan was described by him as a bold step to empower young people and give them increased access to opportunity.
The President reported the current NYS intake at around 20,000 per year. He added that the new policy will raise the figure five times larger in the next three years.
“With this step, he said, more young people will be able to benefit from training, discipline, and quality skills for the contemporary work place.”.
“We are shaping NYS to be a productive and dynamic agency. The aim is to give our youth skills that are practical and relevant,” Ruto elaborated in his statement.
The strategy was unveiled as more than 18,000 new graduates from NYS paramilitary and technical courses graduated in the biggest group in recent years. The government would like to use the institution as a stepping stone for youths to further their studies, disciplined forces, and business.
Ruto indicated that the NYS graduates would be equipped to attend universities and colleges, join the police and military, or start up business enterprises. He noted that the partnership of NYS with private companies will be the key in shaping the program.
The President also highlighted the growing need for technical and digital skills. He indicated that they are very much in demand in Kenya and globally. NYS reforms will therefore focus on equipping trainees with such skills so that they can become more employable.
The growth is not merely skills but also about onboarding people, Ruto pointed out. With the level of youth unemployment still on the rise, the program is expected to prepare millions of Kenyan young people for work. He pointed out that this initiative will be part and parcel of the Kenya Vision 2030 agenda and help address the immediate necessity of empowering the young people.
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