President Uhuru Kenyatta has followed up on his announcement on the creation of 26,000 new jobs to cushion the youth and the vulnerable against the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his address to the nation on Saturday, April 25, President Kenyatta announced the creation of the National Hygiene Program aimed at guaranteeing the youth employment and also taking care of the environment.
A statement from the State Department for Housing and Urban Development on Thursday, April 30, indicated that the initiative had been launched in several counties from April 29.
In Kilifi County, the youth were engaged in activities including bush clearing and garbage collection responsibilities in clusters of Kalolo, Makao and Uwanja wa Maji in KKB Informal Settlement and Kilifi Township.
Youth in Nakuru County were also engaged in a number of activities including the unclogging of drains, bush clearing and also garbage collection to earn them income while also protecting the environment.
In Nairobi, youth from various townships including Mukuru kwa Njenga and Mathare slum areas were also engaged in a number of activities under the Nairobi Regional Commissioner's office.
The program has also spread into various other counties and townships, including Kwale, Mandera, and Kiambu as it seeks to employ 26,148 workers on phase one and over 100,000 workers by the end of phase three.
The program's advent has not been without criticism from many, including Starehe MP Charles Njagua Kanyi, alias Jaguar, who warned that he would not allow outsiders to take part in the projects in his constituency.
"The President launched the National Hygiene Program to benefit youth living in slums. In Starehe Constituency, Landimawe and Nairobi South wards, housing part of Mukuru slums, were meant to benefit from the program.
"However local administrators have hijacked the process by listing their friends and relatives. I'm aware of this injustice and I'll not allow outsiders to take what is meant for the youth within Starehe," he stated on Wednesday.
President Kenyatta informed that the inaugural National Hygiene Program (NHP) would target residents in 23 informal settlements in seven of the counties most affected by the pandemic.
President Kenyatta expressed optimism that with time, the government would cater for a huge margin of Kenyans hard hit by the pandemic.
