• The beneficiaries pray that the government will give them permanent jobs now that they have life-changing skills.
• The programme, which employs 283,210 youths countrywide for 11 days per month, is scheduled to end in December.
The government has been asked to extend the contracts of the youths in the Kazi Mtaani programme beyond December.
The beneficiaries also want the government to employ them permanently.
Shawn Kizito from Mathare told the Star on Sunday that Kazi Mtaani has helped him to take care of his family in the wake of Covid-19.
"When Covid-19 forced me to close my shoe repair business, I was sure I would not survive. We can all see the ravaging effects of the pandemic on small businesses and it is not pleasant," Kizito said.
Grace Mwilu, a supervisor, said the programme has enabled her to exercise her leadership skills that had been dormant for a long time.
"This is the first time I have been mandated to lead others. The staggered payments have also taught me the value of saving," Mwilu says.
Before Kazi Mtaani, she had exhausted her savings after the hotel she worked for closed following the stay-at-home Health ministry directive.
"Our customers were all working from home so we had no one to sell our food to. We just had to close and depend on friends and relatives," Mwilu said.
She asked the government to continue exposing the youth to life-long skills for self-employment since "there are no jobs and if this initiative permanently employed us, we would be more than grateful.”
The college diploma holder is among the 1,791 Kazi Mtaani supervisors in Nairobi managing close to 60,000 youths.
“We all know that the rate of unemployment is very high and Covid-19 has worsened the already bad situation. Much as we thank the government for coming up with this initiative, our hope is that it becomes a long-term programme for the vulnerable youth,” she said.
Maxwell Chacha, a beneficiary of the programme in Kiambu, said he had paid most of his debts, thanks to Kazi Mtaani.
"Sleeping on an empty stomach is now a thing of the past. Everyone at home is comfortable and happy and I cannot imagine what will happen to families like mine when the contract expires. I request the government to extend the contract or even make it permanent," Chacha said.
Other beneficiaries also hoped that the government will give them permanent jobs now that they have life-changing skills.
Kazi Mtaani has kept the 18-35 age category youths engaged in access roads construction, clearing of drainages, tree planting and garbage collection in their localities.
Phase one of the programme was rolled out by President Uhuru Kenyatta on April 25 as an economic stimulus to mitigate the adverse effects Covid-19 in the informal settlements.
Phase Two was launched in July with the focus on sustainable work in public spaces like schools, libraries, toilets, footpaths, painting and paving roads with cobblestones.
The programme employs 283,210 youths countrywide for 11 days per month.
- mwaniki fm