Ruku Unveils Plans to Commercialize NYS Amid Ongoing Corruption Probe

 

By Brian 

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geofrey Ruku has announced plans to transform the National Youth Service (NYS) into a commercially active entity as part of a wider government strategy to enhance the institution’s financial sustainability.

Speaking on Wednesday, November 12, Ruku revealed that the process of approving regulations and registering a new corporate arm for NYS is currently underway.

“The National Youth Service (NYS) is in the process of establishing the National Youth Service Enterprises and Services Company to act as a commercial arm of the National Youth Service commercialization agenda. The approval process of the regulations and registration of the company is ongoing at the moment,” said Ruku.

The new company will serve as NYS’s commercial branch, enabling the institution to generate revenue through business ventures, tenders, and service contracts. This initiative marks a significant shift from NYS’s traditional focus on national service and youth empowerment to a more entrepreneurial approach.

However, the move comes in the wake of ongoing investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) into alleged embezzlement of public funds at NYS amounting to Ksh2 billion.

In May this year, the EACC conducted a major operation targeting senior NYS officials and their associates suspected of engaging in procurement fraud and abuse of office. The raids, carried out on May 7, focused on residences and offices of key suspects, including Nicholas J. Makokha, Deputy Commandant General in charge of Operations and Logistics; David Muthee Mbogo, Head of Supply Chain Management at the Gilgil Paramilitary Academy; and Joseph Maina Kagiri, the Camp Accountant at the same institution.

The anti-graft body also identified several close associates and relatives of the main suspects as persons of interest, among them Felista Wanjiru Wandugi and Winfred Cherotich Towett (spouses of Mbogo), Elias Muthee (Mbogo’s brother and director of Marvel Hotel), Naftali Kaberu (a proxy of Mbogo), and Florence Muthoni Karanja (Kaberu’s wife).

According to the EACC, the suspects are accused of exploiting their positions to channel public funds into private accounts through fictitious contracts and shell companies.

“The operation, which was pursuant to court orders, is part of ongoing investigations into allegations of conflict of interest and abuse of office by several senior National Youth Service officials who traded with the NYS through various companies, resulting in payments totaling Ksh2 billion between the financial years 2019/2020 and 2024/2025,” the EACC stated.

While the corruption investigations cast a shadow over the institution, Ruku emphasized that the commercialization drive aims to rebuild public trust and position NYS as a self-sustaining entity that contributes meaningfully to the economy.

The government is expected to release additional details on the structure and operations of the proposed NYS Enterprises and Services Company once the approval process is complete.