This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
Nairobi County is taking steps to improve accountability in the Kazi Mtaani programme by introducing an app that will enable workers to clock in and out during working hours.
According to Nairobi Regional Commissioner Wilson Njega, the app will help with payment purposes, as each worker will be required to work for a stipulated time.
Speaking during the National Hygiene Programme meeting, Njega emphasized that the app will prevent mischief by individuals who clock in and out in the morning but then disappear without working.
The recruitment of workers and supervisors for the Kazi Mtaani programme will be done through the relevant government ministries, as per the laid-down structures.
Those recruited will be required to have working tools such as gumboots, face masks, and gloves, and will work in shifts.
However, some youth from Imara Daima have objected to the shift system and the reduction of payment from Sh. 650 to Sh. 455, but Njega warned that the payment rates and shift system will not change.
He added that the Kazi Mtaani Phase II will be different from Phase I, with projects that will leave a mark and legacy amongst the beneficiaries.
The programme will engage workers in painting government offices, constructing access roads, beautification, and cleaning of Ngong, Mathare, and Nairobi rivers, among others.
Concerning complaints from Gikomba market traders, Njega reiterated the government's commitment to empower and support the traders in their businesses and dismissed allegations that the state is removing the traders from the market.
He added that the government is constructing a modern storey market at Gikomba market, which is almost complete and will accommodate more traders.
The Kazi Mtaani Initiative was piloted in April and rolled out by National Government Administration Officers throughout the country on Monday, targeting over 270,000 vulnerable youth in informal settlements.
