Panic at NYS Mtongwe as Public Service CS Proposes Procurement Reforms

By Collins Ochieng

There is growing panic at National Youth Service(NYS) branches across the country over the proposed centralisation of procurement operations.

Reports have surfaced that the government is planning major changes at NYS Mtongwe following recent developments that have shaken the Gilgil branch.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku who proposed measures to centralize procurement operations at the NYS said the move is aimed at improving efficiency.

Procurement officers at mtongwe are likely to undergo swapping for other roles as the government targets.

The panic at Mtongwe has been rife after the government’s stunning move at Gilgil following the suspension of one David Mbogo less than a month after being posted to head the procurement department.

The ministry is inevitably targeting officers previously linked to procurement irregularities in cases dating back to the previous administration.

The CS is now scheduled to trade his guns on NYS Mtongwe that has been engulfed in procurement rows and alleged irregular dealings.

Investigative authorities have in the past three years been investigating corruption allegations at the station where Head of Procurement Salome Kasichana and her juniors have been on the spotlight.

She has been accused of canvasing for kickbacks where every applicant has to part with a 10 % cut.

Some procurement processes like tender number NYS/PROC/003/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/008/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/004/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/007/2025-2027,NYS/PROC/012/2025-2027 among many others were shrouded in controversy.

The station has for long struggled with rising pending bills with authorities blaming the procurement and finance departments for collaborating to pay ghost supplies and exaggerated payments at the expense of genuine suppliers.

Several payments have been made in full for stalled projects while some assets at Mtongwe have remained at risk

Further investigations have indicate that tendering rules are always tilted to defraud unsuspecting bidders who have to initially part with Sh100,000 as an acceptance fee.

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This comes after Samuel Wachenje and Hendrick Nyongesa Pilisi, former employees of the service were convicted of multiple charges of fraud and conspiracy.

The two were found guilty of forgery and financial fraud in a sweeping scheme that saw the youth organisation lose Ksh791 million meant for a road construction project at an NYS facility in Kibera in 2015, according to a criminal court docket.

While delivering the verdict, Lady Justice Wendy Kagendo Micheni of the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi stated that the prosecution had sufficiently proven that between December 1, 2014, and June 5, 2015, at the NYS headquarters, Mr Wachenje and Mr Nyongesa breached trust by authorising payments without proper oversight, resulting in the loss of Ksh791 million in public funds.

Photo: Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes, Geoffrey Ruku

Operating as a technical college, the institution has helped train many youths in business skills while some have been used by the government in cleaning major towns and providing security in key government functions.

The service has been accused of being a tenderpreneur entity for suppliers who enjoy massive government support and have influence over its leadership.