President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday, July 1, cautioned leaders against taking advantage of the National Hygiene Programme (Kazi Mtaani Initiative) to gain political mileage.
While addressing National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) at KICC, the Head of State indicated that the project which had been allocated Ksh10 Billion was personal to him.
"This is not a process of trying to get votes for any person - not an MP or any MCA. This is a process of protecting the most vulnerable people in our country during this particular period. I will follow this very closely," he stated.
He further challenged the NGAOs to ensure money channeled towards the program is used effectively as he pledged full support for the nation-wide youth initiative which will be launched on July 6, 2020.
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The president stated that the project was dear to him as he had seen its impact on the youth in Nairobi adding that the benefits should be spread to all the young people throughout the country.
The initiative has been allocated Ksh10 billion and will run for six months in all 47 counties.
About 300,000 youth are set to benefit from the program after the initial cohort of 26,000 youth secured employment through the program.
In the first phase, the project was rolled out in slums in eight counties including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Kiambu, Kilifi, Kwale and Mandera.
The jobs are open for both skilled and unskilled individuals expected to be aged between 18 and 35 years.
The objective of the Kazi Mtaani program is to provide a form of social protection for workers whose prospects for daily or casual work have been disrupted by the containment policies put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The initiative is also structured as a local economic recovery program that aims to restore disrupted economic activity in informal settlements while creating a public good.
Currently, enlisted workers from Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa earn a daily wage of Ksh653.10 while workers from all other municipalities earn a daily wage of Ksh600. Payments are made once a week through mobile money transfer.