On Tuesday, November 8, a video of a National Youth Service (NYS) officer cleaning Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts Ababu Namwamba‘s shoes emerged.
In the video that is believed to have been recorded on Monday, November 7, the NYS officer was caught dusting off Ababu’s shoe with a piece of cloth.
This elicited sharp reactions from netizens with a section claiming that the move was undermining the service’s status.
However, on Tuesday, November 8, newly sworn-in Sports CS Ababu Namwamba hosted the officer who cleaned his pair of black shoes.
Speaking with Namwamba in his office, the NYS officer identified as Dickson Loyerer revealed that he cleaned Namwamba’s shoes because they were dirty.
“I looked at your shoes and I saw some dirt. I then decided that I must clean your shoes because when our boss has dirt somewhere, we have to correct it,” he said.
On his part, the Sports CS disclosed that he was touched by the officer’s training crediting NYS for training all-around officers.
“I am very happy that NYS is training you on things to do with cleaning, and technical skills among others,” Namwamba said.
As such, Namwamba immediately offered a job opportunity to the officer after the NYS Director General Matilda Sakwa earlier blocked the CS from giving Loyerer a tip.
“No! No! We do not allow a tip. It is part of their discipline,” NYS DG Sakwa told the Sports CS Ababu.
Earlier, Namwamba committed to ensuring at least 20,000 youth are enlisted into the service every year.
“I endeavor to support the Service to attain the targeted youth intake of 20,000 annually, to upscale national service functions with particular emphasis on climate-smart agriculture and value addition for increased food production, propagation of tree seedlings and tree planting,” Ababu said.
