President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday, May 23, rolled out an 8-point economic stimulus program during his seventh address on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking from State House, the president stated that the government had injected Ksh 53.7 billion, which would be used to cushion the economy.
To begin this, he announced that he would set aside a total of Ksh. 5 billion to hire local labour for the rehabilitation of access roads and footbridges.
In matters education, the president stated that he had allocated a total of Ksh 6.5 Billion the Ministry of Education.
The money would be used to hire 10,000 teachers and 1,000 ICT interns that would be used to support digital learning and help in the acquisition of 250,000 locally fabricated desks.
"We know that parents and children across the country are concerned about what the future holds for them but I want to assure you that in the near future, we shall be communicating after extensive discussions between parent-teacher association.
"We will come to you and tell you what plans and programs we have for our education sector to ensure that our children are able to carry on," the president commented.
Thirdly, Uhuru announced that Ksh 10 billion to the Small and Medium Enterprises which would be used to fast track payment of outstanding VAT refunds and other pending payments.
He added that Ksh 3 billion would be used a seed capital for SME Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Fourth, the government stated that 5,000 healthcare workers who possessed a diploma or degree certificate with an experience of one year, would be hired.
"This will not only enhance our COVID-19 response capability but also enhance the implementation of the Universal Healthcare Coverage program," Uhuru stated.
He also allocated Ksh 1.7 billion for the expansion of bed capacity in public hospitals.
Further, he announced that Ksh 3 billion would also be used for the supply of farm inputs through e-vouchers, which would target 200,000 small scale farmers.
Under this program, Ksh. 1.5 billion would be set aside to assist the flower and horticultural producers to access international markets.
Acknowledging that the Tourism sector was one of the hardest hit in the wake of COVID-19, the president declared that a total of Ksh 2 Billion would be set aside to support the renovation of facilities and the restructuring of business operations by actors in the Tourism industry.
In addition, he stated that funding would be set aside to support the operations of Utalii College. This would guarantee a steady supply of well-trained hospitality professionals.
To mitigate the impact of deforestation and climate change, and to enhance the provision of water facilities, the president stated that his administration would rehabilitate wells, water pans and underground tanks in the Arid and Semi-Arid areas which would cost Ksh. 850 million.
He concluded by stating that the government would enforce the policy on 'Buy Kenya Build Kenya'
