Ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to be here today to preside over the passing out parade for the National Youth Service recruits. This is a special day for every recruit present, since it marks the successful completion of an intensive eight months training course. I congratulate each one of you for the hard work, and discipline you have shown during the course. I note that of the 3,838 recruits graduating today, about 30 percent are from an orphaned background, while another 8 percent are from a destitute background. I wish to commend the Service for taking into account the plight of orphaned and destitute young people and giving them the opportunity to improve their future and that of their families. As you graduate today, keep in mind that you are walking in the footsteps of thousands of other young people who passed through this institution before you. They have established a fine reputation for being disciplined and hard working, which is a legacy of the disciplined training that each NYS graduate receives. As you go forth to render national service, and later commence on your technical training, be prepared to work hard and demonstrate high standards of professional and personal discipline.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The National Youth Service is an important national resource for our country’s national development. Since its establishment in 1964, the National Youth Service has enabled Kenyan youths to serve this country in the spirit of putting the interest of serving the nation ahead of personal interests. This why the NYS recruits provide up to 18 months of voluntary and unpaid national service after their training. However, the Service’s unique role remains one of developing the character of young people and providing them with technical skills to contribute to their personal and national development. The Government will therefore continue to support the Service by ensuring that NYS Servicemen and Women are given priority consideration during recruitment by other disciplined forces such as the Armed Forces, Police and Administration Police. I also urge the various departments in Government to take note of the Service’s proud record in the construction of roads, airstrips, water canals, disaster management and other relief operations. The skills developed by the Service over the years should be harnessed by according it preferential treatment as a contractor in the implementation of development projects. Indeed, I am aware that if the NYS had adequate and modern equipment its performance would be considerably enhanced.

In this regard, my Government has initiated discussions with the Chinese Government for the financing of a comprehensive modernization programme for the National Youth Service. This initiative involves the purchase of new equipment for the Service’s training, farming, and construction programmes. This will enable the National Youth Service to undertake large projects and thus absorb more young people on a permanent basis.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am aware that the most important concern for young people qualifying from the National Youth Service and indeed from all institutions of learning is employment and the prospects of a better life. This is a concern I share deeply and for which I have spared no effort and resources to provide workable solutions. We began by putting in place policies that turned around the economy, and thus opened up job opportunities for the youth. As a result of these policies, we have in the last five years created about 467,000 jobs annually. This is 93 percent of the 500,000 jobs we pledged to deliver annually five years ago. I am keenly aware that even with the large number of jobs we have created, many young people in our society are not gainfully employed. This problem is partly because many of the available job opportunities require minimum educational or technical skills. Yet many of our youth, especially those in rural areas are unable to take advantage of these opportunities because they do not have the skills required. It is for this reason that my Government is reviving and equipping youth polytechnics to enable them train our young people and equip them with skills that will make them employable.

In this regard, my Government is implementing a programme to revive, equip and provide trained staff to 210 youth polytechnics throughout the country. And in order to ensure that rural youth benefit from these facilities, my Government will waive tuition fees in all youth polytechnics. Similarly, my Government is committed to doubling investment in infrastructure development and maintenance projects from next year. Through a new public works and construction employment programme, we will create many jobs for lower skilled youth by adopting labour intensive methods and technologies in the construction and maintenance of roads, public works, ports, railways, housing, water and irrigation development, and rural electrification. I expect that these initiatives will lead to the creation of about two hundred thousand jobs in the first year of implementation. Furthermore, I am also aware that there are many young people who desire to train with the National Youth Service, but are unable to do so due to the limited numbers recruited annually. I am therefore directing the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs to put in place measures to increase the annual intake of National Youth Service recruits from next year.

Further, there many youths who have acquired some skills in the management of small businesses, but lack the necessary resources and exposure to develop them into vibrant enterprises that can provide decent employment for themselves and other young people. For such youth, my Government launched the Youth Enterprise Development Fund to which we initially allocated 1 billion shillings. This money has benefited over 14,000 youth groups and small businesses. An additional 750 million shillings has been set aside this financial year to expand support to our young businessmen and women. During my meet the people tours, young people have expressed concern that they are finding it difficult to access these funds. I am therefore directing the Ministries of Finance and Youth Affairs to simplify the procedures and ease with which youths can access these resources. In addition, my Government will soon put in place modalities for promoting businesses funded through the Youth Enterprise Development Fund by establishing preferential terms in the purchase of goods and services. Furthermore, the Ministry of Local Government should promote youth owned enterprises by waiving business permit charges during the first three years of operation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The educational policies adopted by my Government have endowed our nation with a large pool of skilled youth who are yearning to make their contribution to the development of this nation. This pool of skilled youth will be critical to achieving the high economic growth rates targeted under the Vision Twenty Thirty. In addition, my Government is targeting to expand technical training opportunities at national polytechnics by doubling the numbers of students from 75 thousand to 150 thousand, while enrolment in our public universities is also set grow well beyond the current level of 112 thousand. We are expanding these numbers so as to meet our national needs as well as take advantage of the emerging opportunities in the global markets for Kenyan youth and businesses. Indeed, our country is now emerging as serious global player in the provision of outsourced business services. In this regard, my Government is fast-tracking the installation of the national fibre optic cable infrastructure. This will encourage local and international investors in the Information Communications Technology sector to establish call centres and business process outsourcing enterprises throughout the country. I expect these investments to create up to ten thousand new jobs in 2008 alone. An additional one hundred thousand jobs will be created over the next few years once construction of the undersea fibre optic cable is completed the following year.

Moreover, the Ministries of Information and Communication and Youth Affairs will in the next four months, train one thousand young people in preparation for the establishment of digital villages that will be launched in every constituency by the end of April 2008. The digital villages will create a total five thousand new jobs for skilled youth in the coming year alone by linking rural communities to the internet and providing them with information and opportunities from government, civil society, markets, and private sector. Indeed, there are substantial employment opportunities in overseas labour markets for skilled English- speaking youths. We will support our young people to seek these jobs, so as to obtain decent employment abroad and contribute to the development of this nation through the remittances they will be sending back home. With these far-reaching measures, I expect that our youths will be able to access up to two hundred thousand new jobs in the coming year. I am confident that these strategic initiatives will go a long way in providing the youth with decent jobs that match their skills and aspirations, and in reducing the levels of unemployment and poverty in our country.

In conclusion, I wish to restate that my Government is committed to the development and empowerment of our youth. I believe in the great potential that lies within our youth, and will continue to invest all necessary efforts and resources to realize this potential. With these remarks, I wish to once again congratulate the National Youth Service recruits who are graduating today, and to wish each one you a successful career in the years ahead.

Thank You and God Bless You All.