Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has announced a sweeping crackdown on procurement irregularities within the National Youth Service (NYS), following a damning Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) report that flagged the embezzlement of Sh2 billion at the NYS College in Gilgil.
Speaking after a high-level meeting with officials from the ministry, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), and NYS, Ruku directed PPRA to launch a comprehensive audit of all NYS procurement and disposal activities from July 2019 to date. He emphasized the need for accountability and transparency, vowing that violations of procurement laws would not be tolerated.
Ruku also tasked PPRA with submitting actionable recommendations to facilitate asset recovery through the EACC and Asset Recovery Agency, and directed NYS leadership to take disciplinary action against implicated personnel. He called on professional bodies to pursue sanctions against individuals involved and asked the PPRA Board to debar those found culpable from public procurement dealings.
The Cabinet Secretary further left open the option of transferring NYS’s procurement mandate to another public body if systemic flaws are confirmed. To guide future reforms, Ruku also requested a certified copy of NYS’s Procurement and Asset Disposal Systems Manual for review.
