Kazi Mtaani is Back

President Uhuru Kenyatta authorized the National Treasury to allocate 10 billion shillings to the Kazi Mtaani initiative on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. He stated that the initiative has been a success and that it has a positive impact on the youth’s possibilities.

“We started this programme to harness the energy of our young people and to give them a buffer against COVID-related unemployment.” President Uhuru Kenyatta during Mashujaa Day Celebrations in Kirinyaga. 

“I direct the National Treasury to allocate Sh10 billion for the third phase of the Kazi Mtaani Programme. The program covering over 200,000 youths will be rolled out to all counties, with priority given to densely populated areas.”

The program, according to the President, is part of a package of measures aimed at injecting an additional 25 billion shillings into the economy. The new financing is a result of the Kazi Mtaani Program’s success in broadening opportunities for young people across the country.

Kazi Mtaani Launch in 2020

Kazi Mtaani is a nationwide project that began in April 2020 with the goal of protecting the most vulnerable and capable kids living in informal settlements from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Uhuru’s administration designed the first and second stimulus packages to ensure that Kenya’s economy could withstand the shocks caused by the lockdown measures enacted in the early phases of the COVID-19 epidemic.

With a budget of Sh10 billion, the program employed 283,210 young people in 900 informal communities throughout 47 counties.

The initiative, which targets adolescents aged 18 to 35 who are unable to find work due to economic disturbances, has changed the lives of many youngsters by providing job possibilities, which has helped to reduce crime in society.

The beneficiaries under the Kazi Mtaani Initiative worked in two shifts, each of which worked 11 days a month and earned Sh455 per day, while supervisors earned Sh505 per day.

These new initiatives will be supplemented by current State interventions that are expected to keep the recovery momentum going, with the year’s growth rate expected to reach 6%.

The cash injection is one of thirteen strategic interventions announced as part of a new Stimulus Program that focuses on important product and service industries.

The initiative has aided in the reduction of crime and drug misuse in informal settlements, as well as the reduction of youth reliance and improved livelihoods.