NYS -Hope for Thousands of Kenyan Youth
In the wake of Kenya’s independence there was a vast amount of nation building that needed to be done. There was also unfortunately, a large number of young Kenyans who were actively involved in the struggle for independence and so when peace reigned many had no where to go, no formal education or skills and no work prospects. The president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta saw the need to establish a state sponsored youth programme aimed at training and developing skills while in turn have the youth volunteer their time and energy towards nation building activities. Thus, the National Youth Service was born. It was enacted through Act of Parliament in 1964. The brainchild was conceptualized by Geoffrey Griffin who also served as the debut Director of the NYS programme, Waruhiu Itote better known as General China as his Deputy and J.M. Kariuki all now deceased. Since then, NYS has grown from strength to strength providing tertiary opportunities to thousands of Kenyan youth across a national demograp...