President William Ruto on Monday, July 15, intimated that the Kazi Mtaani youth empowerment program would be revived in the coming week.
He was speaking while on a development tour in Nakuru County where he stated that he had listened to the plight of Kenyans who called for the return of the programme following the high unemployment rate in the country.
“There are women here who have told me they want Kazi Mtaani. In that Kazi Mtaani, I have said starting next week, 500 people will be working here under that plan,” he announced.
“This is so that we can make sure more young people can get employment opportunities,” he added.
The program which was former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s brainchild was among programs from the previous regime that were discontinued upon the assumption of office by President Ruto in September 2022.
The Kazi Mtaani project was a youth-focused initiative launched as a response to the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to provide temporary employment opportunities for individuals in informal settlements and urban areas.
The project involved engaging young people in government-led clean-up exercises such as cleaning streets, clearing bushes, and other community service activities for a daily stipend.
President Ruto argued that it was a channel of exploiting public resources, championing his Affordable Housing Program for employment opportunities in line with the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
Additionally, President Ruto further claimed there were the jobs on the programme were undignified , stating that his administration would create respectable jobs for the youth.
“Kazi Mtaani is outdated now, the work now is building affordable houses. We will have enough job opportunities for our young people without using them to collect garbage,” Ruto stated then.
At the time, Kazi Mtaani employed a minimum of 500 youth from every ward on a rotational basis.
Following the President’s new directive, the revival of the Kazi Mtaani Programme will involve contracting 500 youth from each region.
The return of Kazi Mtaani is among demands made by Kenyans to the administration in the Gen Z protests, expressing their frustration in the running of government and highlighting grievances such as economic hardship, umemployment, corruption and dissatisfaction with public services.
Other demands included the sacking of the entire cabinet, the resignation of the Inspector General of Police and the return of crucial government services such as Linda Mama.
