Eva Nyambura
Treasury CS Ukur Yattani has allocated Sh10 billion to the “Kazi Mtaani” youth programme.
During presentation of the Bugdet in Parliament on Thursday, the CS said the money will help unemployed youths who have been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A KNBS report showed that youths between the ages of 20 to 24 are the worst hit by unemployment in Kenya at a figure of 241,728 during the period between January to May this year.
This was followed by youths aged 25 to 29 making up 228,466 of the total.
“Youth aged between 20-24 had the highest proportion of the unemployed at 12.5 percent. On the other hand, those aged 55-59 had the least unemployment rate of 0.3 percent,” the report said.
The programme was rolled out in April by President Uhuru Kenyatta targeting youths from 8 counties.
They are Kiambu, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale, Nakuru, Mandera, Kilifi and Kisumu.
The first phase was launched in 28 slum areas in the country.
The initiative was meant to create 26,000 immediate jobs in urban hygiene and sanitation works.
Under the program, workers above the age of 18 earn a daily wage for taking up duties such as ‘street’ cleaning, fumigation and disinfection, garbage collection, bush clearance and drainage unclogging services, among others.
“The Kazi Mtaani NHP has been conceptualized to provide social relief by providing jobs and facilitating hygiene interventions to help contain the Covid-19 pandemic in informal urban settlements,” Housing PS Charles Hinga said.
Phase 1 of the NHP program will deliver wages amounting for more than 30,000 informal settlement dwellers for the next one month allowing them to meet their economic needs. The Kazi Mtaani NHP payment structure is also aligned to the aims of providing a daily income and this is why workers will be paid at least twice a week through mobile money transfers,” he added.
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