A group of youths in the NYS slum upgrading programme have threatened to hold demonstrations if the government does not restore the programme.
They said in their petition to Youth CS
Sicily Kariuki saying the unavailability of the National Youth Service programme has left them desperate.
Group chairperson Duke Nyakundi said they have been living in a state of uncertainty since the ministry suspended the project four months ago.
Nyakundi said it should resume for youths to be employed and empowered, amid investigations into claims of financial impropriety at the youths agency.
Former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, for Planning PS Peter Mang'iti and others have been accused of aiding the theft of over 1.6 billion from the service.
"We are appealing to Madam Kariuki to act swiftly on these issues or else we will call the mother of all demonstrations on December 5," Nyakundi said on Friday.
"Since the inception of the programme there has been a reduction in crime rates across the country as more youths are positively engaged."
He noted it was unfair to deny youths the jobs that had changed their lives and that President Uhuru Kenyatta promised the programme would resume.
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Nyakundi further demanded the speedy payment of pending dues and the settling of bills for the hall used for training int he 2014/5 financial year.
“We also demand the immediate release of the savings of our deductions to our respective accounts and full independence of the sacco from the government bureaucracy," he added.
He said the sacco should be managed by the youths.
Hundreds of NYS cohorts in Chuka demonstrated in a demand for money they have set aside as savings through the youths agency.
Chuka Igambang’ombe cohorts chairman Amos Mawira said the youths have not benefited from the one-year savings.
“We were saving Sh142 per cohort. We worked for about a year before the money was remitted but those chosen as sacco representatives cannot withdraw," said Mawira.
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The slum upgrade initiative was part of the government’s plan to improve the welfare of vulnerable communities.