President William Ruto has reverted to his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta's Kazi Mtaani programme in a new strategy to tackle youth unemployment in the country.
The president announced the revival of the programme during the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations, where he reiterated that the revamped initiative would offer thousands of young Kenyans jobs and practical skills to set them up in the future.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the revival of Kazi Mtaani,” President Ruto announced. “This program will empower our youth with meaningful work and hope for a better tomorrow.”
Initially launched in 2020, the Kazi Mtaani initiative was the brainchild of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and was birthed as a response to the economic fallout brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The programme offered temporary relief to young people, particularly those in informal settlements, by engaging them in jobs including urban clean-up efforts and basic maintenance of community spaces.
Kazi Mtaani was, however, discontinued in 2022 when Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration took over, with the current Head of State showing more intent on the Affordable Housing agenda.
At the time, Ruto was adamant the Affordable Housing projects would go a long way in providing jobs compared to Kazi Mtaani, which he termed 'outdated' in 2022.
“Kazi Mtaani is outdated now; the work now is building these houses, and the first people to get jobs in this project will be from Kibra. The 500 youths per ward hired in the Kazi Mtaani programme will be used to construct these homes. You asked for job opportunities; here they are,” Ruto said at the time.
But, in a notable policy U-turn, Ruto admitted it was time to bring back the programme to complement other youth empowerment initiatives.
The president announced that starting next week, over 110,000 youth would be recruited under the scheme to work on various tasks like cleaning up urban centres, constructing small roads, planting trees and improving living conditions in certain neighbourhoods.
According to the president, the new programme would be implemented under the broader ClimateWorX framework, which links economic empowerment with environmental action.
On Sunday, the president also announced the commencement of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, courtesy of a partnership with the World Bank.
Over a five-year period, the programme will seek to create employment opportunities and enhance income generation among the youth, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
