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The National Youth Service (NYS) is overstaffed in senior management positions, a new report shows.

The report from the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu shows that overstaffing is mainly in the three positions of Assistant Director, Senior Superintendent and Superintendent.

 The report shows that while there are only fourteen posts established for Assistant Director’s position, there are 30 uniformed officers holding the position.

 The position of senior superintendent position has 52 office holders against the approved number of 36 officers while those holding the superintendent positions are 62, five more than the approved staff of 57.

Management position

 Reads the report: “Management did not provide explanation for the overstaffing in the senior management positions.”

The service has also been marked for non-compliance with one third of basic salary rule as 156 employees were paid a net salary of less than a third (1/3) of their basic pay in June, 2023 which is contrary to Section 19(3) of the Employment Act, 2007 as well as for paying salaries outside the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database (IPPD).

 The money in question amounts to Sh99.7 million that was paid to trainers and lecturers as salaries outside the IPPD Government payroll processing system yet the criteria used in hiring the tutors was not provided for verification.

Reads the report: “In the circumstances, the Service was in breach of the Public Service Policies and Procedures.”

The report for the year ending June 2023 also raises concerns over a number of anomalies noted in the service including having unsupported refundable deposits from customers, unsupported property, plant and equipment, long outstanding trade and other payables as well as having a number of stalled projects.

Current values

On property plant and equipment, the report raises concerns that the Service did not maintain a complete and accurate asset register with information relating to type of the asset, date of acquisition, supplier, cost, location, code, current values, remaining useful life and salvage value.

 The assets the report says have not been not been tagged for tracking and identification.

 The report also raises concerns that despite the Service having approximately 2,247 hectares of land in Yatta, Mavoloni, Athi River, Mombasa Technical Institute and Mwatate, the said pieces of land have not been fenced and are encroached.

 Although Management said it had initiated the process of demarcation of the respective parcels of land, the report regrets the process has not been finalised.

 Similarly, the report also reveals that NYS Engineering Unit land has been encroached by private developers who have constructed structures on it and therefore, the Service risks losing the land due to encroachment by informal settlers.

 Reads the report: “In the circumstances, the accuracy, completeness and valuation of the property, plant and equipment balance of Kshs.30,253,103,894 could not be confirmed.”

 On refundable deposits from customers, the report shows that the service retained Sh33.99 million from contractors as well as Sh344.3 million which was deposits-cohorts; wages, kitchen and allowances payable to servicemen and women.

 However, the retentions from contractors, the report notes, were not supported with retention money register, ledgers and aging analysis while the other deposits for other cohorts; wages, kitchen, and allowances payable to servicemen and women are in respect to cohorts that were engaged during the six months Youth Empowerment Programme between September, 2014 and February, 2015.

 Reads the report: “Management did not provide satisfactory explanation for the delay in paying the cohorts. In the circumstances, the accuracy and completeness of the refundable deposits from customers totalling Kshs.378,308,240 could not be confirmed.”