Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa has urged youths to join the National Youth Service (NYS) training to enhance discipline and gain life skills to enable them to be self-sufficient and boost enterprise and youth economy.
Mr Kutwa was speaking to residents who turned out to give recommendations to the task force on the police and prison reforms at the Kenya School of Government hall in Kabarnet, Baringo Central Sub-County and was accompanied by the Deputy County Commissioner Rueben Ratemo.
He stated that the recommendations would be put into account and urged youths to maintain peaceful coexistence adding that 200 national police reservists were undergoing training to enable them restore peace in the volatile areas of the County.
“We have heard the challenges that you have raised concerning malpractices during NYS and police officers’ recruitment and we promise to look into them during next recruitment exercises,” Kutwa added.
One youth Brian Kibet regretted that the recruitment slots were allocated to politicians who reward their supporters leaving the vulnerable who do not know anyone out.
“I want to urge the task force to ensure that during recruitment recruiters should come to the ground and liaise with chiefs since they are fair and know the vulnerable and needy members of the society,” he said.
Isaiah Biwott, a human rights defender from the Citizen participation forum (Cipaf) told the task force the NYS curriculum was outdated and needed to be reviewed as it was also violating human rights adding that the graduates end up being irrelevant and tasked them to consider the graduates to join technical institutions to get skills.
Job Komen, the Deputy Prisons Commander Kabarnet Prison said as a social worker with the NYS the allowance paid ought to be increased as the cost of livelihood had gone up.
“There has to be a policy direction on how to manage NYS to also consider these graduates for job opportunities in government offices since they have the relevant knowledge and skills,” Komen said.
Terry Maina from the task force said it was important for youth to join the service to acquire relevant skills to be self-employed and further thanked residents for turning out in large numbers to give their recommendations.
By Caroline Cherono
