National Youth Service sends home 2,238 fake recruits

The National Youth Service has kicked out 2,238 recruits said to have joined illegally and launched investigations into how they were admitted to the institution recently hit by scandals.

“Clearly, this is a case of gross impropriety on the part of the persons who aided the fraudulent admission of the young men and women to NYS vocational training programmes. The beneficiaries are no less innocent either,” said NYS Director-General Richard Ndubai in a statement to newsrooms.

He said the methods employed to enrol the recruits are criminal and disclosed that internal investigations were under way.

“To argue that since the recruits are already enrolled and they should be allowed to proceed with their training is formalising impropriety and abetting a matter that has all the hallmarks of criminal enterprise,” he said.

He went on: “Moreover, to ask that the fraudulent beneficiaries be allowed to continue with the training in order to ensure that they do not veer into criminal behaviour — at a time when NYS is undergoing a comprehensive clean-up — is akin to chasing a rodent escaping from a burning house at the expense of saving the occupants and property therein.” He said nothing would stop the ongoing purge.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

In 2015, a total of 10,000 recruits qualified to join the NYS for a six-month paramilitary training, out of which 8,642 graduated and were expected to re-enrol for vocational training. Those posted to vocational training were, however, about 10,400 which was not adding up.

The three stages that qualify NYS recruits to become servicemen and women are paramilitary training, national service and vocational training.

But some of the affected youth interviewed by the Nation on Sunday said they were being victimised “for reasons we don’t understand”.

“We followed the correct procedures into the NYS and never have we deserted duties as we are being told from some quarters,” said a youth from Kisumu, who declined to be named.

Fears have emerged that some of the youth could be a danger in society, especially during this election year. In an interview on Saturday with a local TV station, Mr Ndubai blamed the NYS directorate of vocational training in social transformation for the fraud.