Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has declared that all new government employees will now need a National Youth Service clearance certificate when they apply for jobs.

Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the NYS re-engineering program, Kuria said this move will curb corruption and laziness among public servants.

"Before anyone is hired for a government job, they must go through NYS. If we see someone involved in corruption, I will contact the Director-General, seeking to trace if the servant is NYS certified," he continued.

The CS added that in hiring public servants, traceability is vital in ensuring a candidate’s suitability.

“So that even those people who are going to be in the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Water, Ministry of Lands, we make sure that we have traceability from where they were created, and that factory is right here in NYS,” he said.

He has vowed to take it up with the cabinet to make sure they approve his plan of making it mandatory that all new government hires provide an NYS certificate.

"I want to ensure that I push this policy, and I'm going to present a Cabinet memo for Cabinet approval... everyone must come holding an NYS certificate to qualify for appointment.”

Additionally, Kuria said that he is now the “chief marketer" for NYS and seeks to give the body a facelift.


“We want this nation service to be in all spheres... In our security, environment, agriculture, and anywhere that the government of Kenya requires manpower," he said.

Kuria says that he will not stop at the public sector and will sell the NYS to the private sector by convincing them that the recruits a more disciplined lot with better work ethics.