This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
On July 11, 2020, the government confirmed plans to expand the Kazi Mtaani program, a national initiative designed to cushion the most vulnerable citizens living in informal settlements from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Department of Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga announced that the program will feature a more robust corroborative framework at the county level, with the national government underwriting labor costs and county governments providing resources for project development.
Speaking on the readiness plans for the second phase of Kazi Mtaani, Hinga stated that the initiative will expand to all 47 counties, employing workers primarily drawn from informal settlements in urban and rural settings.
The program rollout will be overseen by County Implementation Committees (CICs) led by County Commissioners, with County Secretaries as deputy chairs and County Directors of Housing serving as secretaries to the CICs.
Targeted initiatives such as Kazi Mtaani provide employment opportunities to underrepresented groups and provide platforms to mitigate the negative economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Hinga.
“The Kazi Mtaani national technical committee has prepared robust works plans that will see more than 270,000 Kenyans earning a Sh455 daily wage and engaged in more community and infrastructure development projects,” Hinga said.
