This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
Published on July 11, 2020, the National Hygiene Programme, popularly known as 'Kazi Mtaani', is set to benefit 2,488 more youth in Kwale County in its second phase.
The programme, launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on April 25, targets youths in slums from eight counties, including Kwale, Kiambu, Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Mandera, Kilifi, and Kisumu.
According to Kwale County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo, the second phase will see youth from Lunga Lunga and Kinango sub-counties join the programme, in addition to those from Msambweni and Matuga sub-counties who benefited in the first phase.
Ngumo explained that the labourers will undertake various activities, including street cleaning, fumigation and disinfection, garbage collection, bush clearing, and de-silting of choked gutters in slum areas.
Initially, the programme paid the beneficiaries a daily wage of Ksh 600, but this has been reduced to Ksh 455 in the second phase, with the labourers working in shifts.
Ngumo warned against demanding kickbacks from desperate youth seeking jobs as part of the COVID-19 economic recovery strategy, stating that chiefs and village elders will be held accountable for their actions.
The programme has been allocated Sh10 billion by the National Treasury for the 2020-2021 financial year, with the aim of addressing the challenges of unemployment confronting young people.
