President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday told the newly sworn-in Youth PS Francis Otieno to "clean up the mess" at the NYS.
Otieno took oath of office alongside Transport PS Esther Koimett in a ceremony held at State House.
"And you, Owino, I know that you are familiar with NYS challenges and it is my hope that with you there, we will be able to resolve those problems and restore the programmes," Uhuru said.
The President said the intention of the National Youth Service was to enrich the lives of Kenyan youths and not to make others rich.
"We expect the highest degree both of integrity and loyalty
to Kenyans. NYS' intention was not to enrich a few people but to change
the lives of young people," he said.
"We know it has had challenges, but we expect you to clean it up."
The President said
responsibility of each institution lies in their hands.
"This is a pledge you make not with your husbands, wives, brothers,sisters and children but to the people of Kenya," he said.
The two PSs underwent vetting and approval by Parliament following their nomination by Uhuru in a recent reshuffle.
Koimett, an investment banker, worked as the Director General for public investments and portfolio management at the National Treasury before her new appointment.
"Time has passed when you will say that I did that because I received a phone call. Responsibility is yours and you will have to carry the weight of every decision you make."
RESTRUCTURING NYS
Earlier, Uhuru chaired a Cabinet meeting which approved the restructuring of the NYS to deal with serious managerial and operational challenges that have faced the organisation.
Key among the proposed changes is the establishment of an oversight board which will effectively make the NYS a body corporate with a Director General as the Chief Executive Officer.
The Cabinet also approved a clean-up of the organisation supply chain management function and reforms in its budgetary and internal audit sections.
Uhuru added that, as the principal accounting officers in their respective dockets, the PSs hold the final responsibility of all activities and actions in their respective departments.
Owino will take over from Lillian Omollo who was sacked in the latest mini-reshuffle and appointments announced by the President.
The former Youth PS and 48 others were implicated in the loss of Sh468 million at the NYS.
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The youth service has had scandals since 2016. The height of this was the Sh791 million scandal. The Auditor General, in a report, said Sh1.8 billion was lost in fraudulent deals at the entity.
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Early this year, investigators gave the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji ten files related to the alleged scandal.
Some suspects in the NYS scandal were granted an option of returning the loot in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Anti-Corruption Court chief magistrate Douglas Ogoti encouraged the over 50 suspects to negotiate with the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji before their trial begins on October 29.
The law allows crime suspects to strike a deal to pay back their victims in a move that shields them from harsh sentences.
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