This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
On November 26, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) team submitted a report to President Uhuru Kenyatta and other leaders, recommending that all Kenyans between the ages of 18 and 26 should give six months of their lives to national service.
According to the report, this national service would be a means of developing personal responsibility through service to others, and would be a voluntary effort.
However, the report also proposes that government departments draw up Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives linked to this, and that plans should be devised for involving those not in school.
A national volunteer network would be established to connect those who want to serve with efforts that need volunteers, and certification of completed volunteering stints would be offered.
But what about the current National Youth Service (NYS) program? In 2014, a new NYS was re-launched with a promise by President Uhuru Kenyatta to revamp the service and return it to its glorious past.
Today, enrollment to the service is voluntary for Kenyan youth aged between 18-22 years old, and upon enlistment, the recruits are subjected to rigorous non-combat paramilitary training for 6 months.
After successfully completing the compulsory national service, the recruits are sent to technical and vocational schools within NYS to train in various fields such as agriculture, engineering and hospitality.
The training is free of charge to all recruits.
