Government extends Kazi Mtaani initiative after appeal by beneficiaries

Housing PS Charles Hinga

The Government has extended the national hygiene programme dubbed Kazi Mtaani

President Uhuru Kenyatta authorised the extension, which was confirmed by Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga on Wednesday, after an appeal by beneficiaries.

The programme was to end today. It was unveiled in July last year as a form of social protection initiative to cushion the youth and vulnerable citizens in informal settlements from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The extension is a major relief to over 280,000 youth engaged in the programme. PS Hinga, however, did not say how long the initiative would last.

Currently, beneficiaries operate on two shifts, each working for 11 days a month. They earn Sh455 per day, while supervisors earn Sh505 daily. The PS said the success rate for payment to the youth through M-Pesa has of late peaked at over 99 per cent, injecting over Sh700 million into the grassroots economy every two weeks.

“Phase two of the hugely successful Covid-19 mitigation initiative, whose objective is to shore up hygiene and sanitation in informal settlements as well as put food on the table for thousands of youth rendered jobless by the pandemic, started in July last year with a budget of Sh10 billion,” said Hinga.

It is being implemented in 900 informal settlements across the country.