This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
On May 19th, 2020, a multiagency team from Nairobi County led by Director of Administration, Mr. Paul Famba, and Nairobi County Commissioner Flora Mworoa, toured selected informal settlement areas where the Kazi Mtaani programme is being piloted in Mathare, Korogocho, Mukuru, and Kibera.
The programme, spearheaded by the State Department for Housing and Urban Development under the National Hygiene Programme (NHP), aims to integrate jobless Kenyan youth in undertaking urban hygiene and sanitation works across 23 informal settlements countrywide.
During the tour, the team monitored the tasks executed by the youth, including clearing drainages, collection of garbage, and sweeping roads. Mr. Famba emphasized that the programme is meant to cushion vulnerable youth in informal settlements by providing them with an income, given that most youth have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He urged the youth to utilize the money properly and maintain high standards of hygiene, warning against misusing the funds on alcohol. The Director of Administration also called on residents to strictly observe the Ministry of Health guidelines on Covid-19, including frequent handwashing, wearing face masks, and observing social distancing.
Nairobi County Commissioner Flora Mworoa assured the residents that the government is arranging to provide them with working tools, such as gumboots, gloves, and face masks, to protect themselves from Covid-19. She called on the youth to embrace discipline and use the opportunity wisely, noting that the government started the initiative to empower them economically.
During the visits, the youth called on the government to consider engaging more youth in the programme, as most of them have lost jobs after manufacturing companies suspended operations or worked on minimum capacity. They also asked the organizers to provide them with gumboots and gloves to enable them to perform their work safely.
