Geoffrey William Griffin’s Work at the National Youth Service and Its Contributions to Kenya’s National Development

Abstract

The story of Kenya’s national development in the first three decades after independence cannot be comprehensively understood without a critical examination of personalities who shaped the process especially through the massive national development programs that were undertaken during this period. One of the programs that was instrumental right from the attainment of Kenya’s independence and played a significant role in national development was the National Youth Service (NYS). In this chapter, a historical and critical examination is made of the work of Geoffrey William Griffin at the NYS and its contributions to Kenya’s national development between 1964 and 1988. Specifically, the chapter examines the formation of the NYS, its objectives, programs, challenges, and contributions to youth education and national development within the stated period. The chapter accentuates that an in-depth examination of NYS contributions to Kenya’s national development in the first three decades demonstrate that indeed it was an “army of development.” It was an army of youths that volunteered their labor and strength with little stipend to spearhead national development.