Gov’t Blasts Standard Media Over Explosive NYS Headline
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has reacted to a headline in The Standard suggesting a multibillion-shilling bribery scandal at the National Youth Service (NYS).
The Standard, in its Friday, January 16 newspaper headline titled ‘NYS III bombshell’, asserts that vendors submitted fake or dubious payment claims totaling approximately Sh6.2 billion to the NYS.
These claims are supposed to be about goods such as boots, petrol, helmets, t-shirts, and food items, including cooking oil, sugar, and baked beans.
According to the article, these products were never given.
December 8th 2023
— Shoba Gatimu (@shobanes) January 16, 2026
Ruto is in Gilgil. He says they are revamping NYS to be an incubator for a business model to generate revenue for 'The Plan.'
Now we have a 6 Billion scandal.
Nb: There's a 7.5 billion issue for modernisation of agricultural equipment. This is from the… https://t.co/tzrlQuNfQq pic.twitter.com/pUsyQkfMDS
According to The Standard, many firms tied to leading Kenyan businessmen have appealed court orders preventing NYS from paying out the disputed Ksh6.2 billion.
In response, Ruku criticized the newspaper’s reporting approach, claiming that The Standard media was meddling in ancient topics with the intention of misleading the public.
The CS stated that the charges made by the media primarily concern difficulties that happened between 2013 and 2016.
Ruku spoke on Friday, January 16, at the Kamwangi Huduma Centre’s commissioning ceremony in Kiambu County.
“I have seen the standard newspaper saying that NYS is corrupt. Mainstream media should be telling people the truth,” Ruku stated.
Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has strongly dismissed claims of fresh corruption at the National Youth Service (NYS), assuring Kenyans that the institution is stable, accountable and operating fully within its… pic.twitter.com/HMskMNCpyf
— KBC Channel 1 News (@KBCChannel1) January 17, 2026
“What they have published in their newspaper are things that happened a long time ago in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.”
According to Ruku, previous anomalies at NYS were resolved through rigorous audits, which resulted in the deletion of bogus and inflated pending bills.
“There is no Kenyan who does not know we previously had challenges in NYS,” he added.
“But as a government, we made sure that all the pending bills in those years that I have mentioned were properly audited.”
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Ruku stated that since taking office, he has prioritized transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, notably at NYS, which has previously been connected with procurement scandals.
He further stated that his ministry was working closely with the Judiciary to ensure that those involved in the multi-billion-shilling scandal at NYS are subjected to legal action.
“That is why we have decided to work closely with the Judiciary to ensure that the people of Kenya do not lose any money through fictitious payment,” he emphasised.
“If there are allegations of corruption in NYS, let the media report them fairly.”
Gov’t Blasts Standard Media Over Explosive NYS Headline
