MY SPEECH ON THE OCCASION OF THE PASS OUT PARADE OF NYS RECRUITS AND UNVEIL OF THE NEW NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE AT NYS COLLEGE GILGIL ON 10TH SEPTEMBER 2014 Your Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces, Hon Uhuru Kenyatta Your Excellency the Deputy President, Hon. William Ruto Cabinet Colleagues,Governors Present,Service Commanders present, Principal Secretaries,The Director General, National Youth service, Dr. Nelson Githinji Distinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen Your Excellency, We are greatly honoured by your presence here with us today and are indeed privileged that you have found time out of your busy schedule to come and officiate this passing out parade, which is a significant occasion in the calendar of the National Youth Service . The National Youth Service was established in September 1964 to create a pool of technical, disciplined and organised human resource to undertake national development programmes. The vision of the founding father of the Nation the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in establishing the Service was to prepare the pre- independence youth for the challenges of building the Nation in the years to come. The focus of the National Youth Service in its first 50 years was aligned to the principal challenges facing our young nation at the time. It therefore concentrated on providing basic education, technical skills and employment in the formal sector while promoting national cohesion. Formal, vocational and on-the-job training was given to youth in all NYS Units. In addition, the NYS was instrumental in Nation building programmes such as development of physical infrastructure, disaster response, environmental conservation, agricultural production among others. Your Excellency, As the years have progressed it has become increasingly evident, that the Service needs to adopt a growth trajectory that will see it broaden its scope and expand its mandate in an ever-challenging environment. By building a reputation for discipline, diligence and hard work, the NYS should become the institution of choice for young Kenyans in search of hands-on middle level education as well as employers in search of a reliable workforce. The service has increased its geographical spread, the scope of its activities and training programmes due to ever increasing pressure from a growing youth population. So far it has acquired over 103,315 acres of land and has established field units in 13 counties. It has also recruited and trained over 2,000 youth every year while the staff complement has grown to over 2,300. Your excellency, To further build the capacity of the service, the Ministry procured machinery and equipment valued at over Kshs 5 Billion through bilateral cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. The fleet consists of over 631 vehicles and equipment to be used in dam and road construction as well as agricultural production. I am happy to report that this equipment is already being used to undertake tasks of national importance. Your Excellency, The National Youth Service will continue to be a critical agency in national development. This unique strength of the NYS gives it the ability to participate more effectively in National development programs and react quickly to emerging opportunities and crises. Some of these programs have included: • Construction of flood prevention Dykes in Budalangi; •Installation of a 19.5 Kilometre perimeter fence around the proposed Konza City; • Installation of a 27 Kilometre security fence around the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport; • Construction of a 2.3 Kilometre concrete wall around the Lamu port headquarters; • Construction of a 1.2 Kilometre runway for the Tseikuru airstrip in Kitui County. • More recently, NYS has been instrumental in emergency repair and rehabilitation of houses following the tragic terror attacks in Mpeketoni and the establishment of a Drug rehabilitation centre in Miritini, Mombasa. Socially, the Service plays an important role in moulding the Kenyan youth into responsible and patriotic citizens. The paramilitary training phase of the NYS programme has the effect of integrating youth from all parts of the Republic. The interaction among them inculcates a sense of brotherhood and nationhood, which are essential values for national cohesion. This sense of togetherness in the context of diversity is reinforced by the exposure of the youth to different communities during the nation- building phase of their training. The opportunities and potential for the service to contribute further to National Development are unlimited. I wish to reiterate the readiness of the Service to be the flagship vehicle through which the Government will deliver the Youth agenda to the millions of our youth countrywide as promised in the Jubilee Manifesto. The youth can make positive contributions where they live and in the country at large. Through our knowledge of economic geography, we will ensure that training and enterprise development is geared towards strengthening the comparative advantage of different parts of this country, building synergies and enhancing collaboration, we aspire to build industrial agglomerations driven by the youth. Through this process we will be distributing the economic agency of our youth We wish to humbly and most gratefully acknowledge the personal intervention of your Excellency in ensuring that the National Youth Service has been allocated the necessary resources required to deliver on our expanded mandate. Your resolve and steadfast support has encouraged members of the Service to carry out their new responsibilities with added zeal and steadfast devotion. This is a firm assurance that your government believes in the Youth of this country. As a Ministry we will do our best to ensure that the resources will be prudently utilized. Your Excellency, As I conclude, let me share a most personal experience I had yesterday. 2 days ago, I lost one of my closest friends. As I went to condole with her family, I had a conversation with her daughter who is only 18. Kita Yambo, who I had gone to console, was the one that consoled me, she asked me not to cry and reminded me of 2 very fundamental principles: She told me “life is not measured by the number of years one lives, but by the legacy one leaves behind.” Second, she also told me “that if your absence is not felt, then your presence was not necessary”. Today I stand here hopeful for the generation that Kita represents, she epitomises the hope and power that lies in our youth, she represents a new generation that is positive, that dreams, and that will take on the mantle of leadership in this country. Ladies and Gentlemen, this country will have to hold together for Kita and her generation, and those that come after her. It is a logical fallacy that anyone, should imagine that this country can develop sustainably without the youth. The youth not only make up the single largest proportion of the population, but also represent our dreams and our hopes as a nation. Where those dreams and hopes are smothered in despair the entire nation falters. As we celebrate the golden jubilee of the National Youth Service this year, it is my hope that the NYS will be positioned to offer a hope to these youth and enable them to - GO ON AND BE GREAT. Allow me your Excellency sir, to thank you once more and to kindly invite you to address the youth graduating today and the Nation of Kenya, Your Excellency.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:23:39 +0000
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