Thousands of the National Youth Service (NYS) graduates on Monday, September 18, turned up at the Embakasi Garrison in Nairobi with hopes of joining the Kenya Defence Forces -KDF.
In the notice released in August, KDF announced thousands of opportunities in different categories including for NYS graduates.
In particular, KDF asked persons who have completed NYS training to show up at the Embakasi facility for consideration.
Further, the defense forces specified that candidates with technical qualifications including plant mechanics, plant technicians, plumbers and plant electricians would be given priority in the exercise.
However, the NYS graduates showed up in large numbers with only 350 slots to compete for.
Photos and videos shared online from the venue showed the candidates waiting outside in what appeared to be a near stampede situation.
Armed with copies of their credentials and backpacks, the candidates were forced to endure the scorching sun and the dust caused by the large number of people at the venue.
Unemployment among youth
Consequently, the photos sparked an online discussion with Kenyans marveling at the rate of unemployment in Kenya. According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the number of jobless Kenyans shot to more than 2.97 million in the quarter to December 2022.
A Facebook user identifying himself as Irungu (Stevejnr) urged the government to consider absorbing NYS officers into the security forces.
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According to him, the youth are subjected to a demanding training process but end up jobless.
“The photo below shows just a glimpse of the countless ex-NYS youths eager to contribute to our nation’s security at Embakasi Garrison. This is only a fraction of the potential we have among our servicemen and women,’ he noted.
Mwago Capital noted: “We occasionally get a glimpse of how high the unemployment rate is in Kenya. Things really are thick”.
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About NYS
NYS recruits about 30,000 youth every year for training in a range of areas including paramilitary, engineering, and plant operation.
In March, President William Ruto issued a directive to all government ministries requiring them to allocate 30% of jobs to NYS graduates.
