MPs have backed a proposal to create security employment pathways for NYS graduates.
Kilifi County MP Gertrude Mbeyu’s motion seeks clear recruitment pathways for NYS graduates in public institutions and private security firms.
Members of the National Assembly have backed a proposal to prioritise NYS graduate recruitment for security jobs. The plan targets opportunities in government institutions and private security firms.
Kilifi County MP Gertrude Mbeyu sponsored the motion, which seeks a policy framework for deploying graduates as security officers. It aims to connect their training with employment while meeting public institutions’ supplementary security needs.
The proposal notes that about 18,000 young people complete National Youth Service training each year. Meanwhile, government institutions continue to use private security firms alongside uniformed officers.
What the NYS graduate recruitment plan proposes
The motion calls on the National Government to develop youth employment guidelines in line with Article 55 of the Constitution. Under the proposal, ministries, departments and agencies would prioritise NYS graduates for supplementary security roles.
It also seeks clear rules on the division of responsibilities between graduates and private security firms. These would cover recruitment, deployment, pay, training and career progression.
Mbeyu argues that NYS graduates bring discipline, security awareness, public service ethics and emergency response skills. She says these abilities could support the country’s security needs while creating employment for young people.
However, the proposed framework remains conditional on adoption and implementation. MPs’ support does not itself establish a recruitment programme or guarantee jobs for graduates.
MPs call for a pathway into private security
Supporting the motion, Kitutu Chache MP Japheth Nyakundi urged the Government to help graduates secure work after training. He argued that public investment in their skills should translate into employment opportunities.
Nyakundi also called for the Government to explore ways of absorbing graduates into the private security industry. His concern centred on young people remaining unemployed despite completing publicly funded training.
Ol Kalou MP Sammy Douglas Waweru similarly urged the Government to make better use of NYS training. He proposed policies requiring private security firms to recruit guards who meet prescribed training standards.
Waweru also called for a clear route into private security employment for trained young men and women. He said security guards perform an important role and therefore need proper preparation.
Training standards and transition to work
Mbeere North MP Leonard Wa Muthende backed the motion while questioning the training some security guards receive. He contrasted courses lasting only two to four days with the more rigorous training undertaken by NYS graduates.
Embu County MP Pamela Njoki also called for a legal and policy framework governing trainees’ transition into employment. She questioned why graduates lacked a structured exit programme after completing their courses.
The proposal therefore brings together calls for stronger recruitment pathways and clear security-sector training standards. If adopted and implemented, it would give public institutions and private firms a structured mechanism for recruiting trained graduates.
