Ruto Urges KWS To Prioritise Recruiting Rangers From NYS

President William Ruto directed the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to prioritize recruitment of new rangers from the National Youth Service (NYS), another attempt at enhancing the image of those who graduate from NYS.

Speaking on Friday, April 12 during the official launch of the Lariak forest fencing project, in Laikipia County, the Head of State called for more attention to be given to NYS in the recruiting of 1,500 new game rangers from Monday next week.

“In that recruitment plan, I have directed that we must ensure that the majority of those given priority are our young people who have graduated from NYS.

"We want those young people from NYS to get an opportunity to serve, as I instructed in matters of the security sector,” Ruto stated.

A ranger engages President William Ruto, DP Rigathi Gachagua and CS Soipan Tuya in Laikipia County during the launch of the Lariak forest fencing project on April 12, 2024. /PCS

The President also directed that NYS give affirmative action to counties facing human-wildlife conflicts in terms of recruiting new rangers to serve in the wildlife service.

“My directive is that those counties facing challenges with wildlife reserves such as Laikipia should be given affirmative action to have more young people than other counties. This is because they understand wildlife issues and the pains caused by wildlife damaging citizens' property,” Ruto ordered.

The Kenya Wildlife Service is a state corporation that was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 376), now repealed by WCMA (2013), with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya, and to enforce related laws and regulations.

KWS undertakes the conservation and management of wildlife resources across all protected area systems in collaboration with stakeholders, intending to work with others to conserve, protect and sustainably manage wildlife resources.

"The community wildlife program of KWS in collaboration with others encourages biodiversity conservation by communities living on land essential to wildlife, such as wildlife corridors and dispersal lands outside parks and reserves. The premise is that " if people benefit from wildlife and other natural resources, then they will take care of these resources"," KWS states on its official website.

Ruto's directive comes weeks after Public Service Cabinet Secretary (CS) Moses Kuria protested KWS’ recruitment drive saying it was against the President’s directive.

“The president said that 80 per cent of KWS recruits should come from NYS, then someone placed an advertisement in the newspaper today saying NYS is an added advantage.

"That is foolishness and it is defying the president's order. I will talk to the president and inform him to fulfil his promise that he made to Kenyans that 80 per cent of KDF officers, National Police Service officers, and KWS officers should come from NYS,” said Kuria.

In December 2023, President Ruto announced that the National Security Council (NSC) approved 80 per cent of all recruitments from security agencies such as the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), National Police Service (NPS, Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to come from NYS.

NYS officers during the pass-out parade at Gilgil, Nakuru County on December 8, 2023. /PCS