The reduction of the daily stipend to National Hygiene Programme beneficiaries from Sh600 to Sh455 is meant to increase their number, ICT Principal Secretary Jerome Ochieng has said.
The PS, who spoke in Kisumu on Tuesday, said it was necessary to upscale the number of beneficiaries.
They will be working in two-week shifts to allow other workers to benefit.
“Actually, this suggestion came from the youths themselves. They told us that instead of the Sh600 per day, we split it to Sh300 so that they make as much as they would when they go to jua kali.
"But we said the rate should be within the acceptable labour limits. That is why we pushed it to Sh455 instead of Sh300,” he said.
Ochieng said the government had developed a working formula to rope in the 283,000 beneficiaries to offer both skilled and semi-skilled labour.
“We will be taking a more sustainable approach in collaboration with county governments. We shall undertake legacy projects like beautification of urban areas (tree planting), construction of access roads using cabros, road upgrading and rehabilitation of schools and hospitals in slums,” he said.
The government expended more than Sh760 million on Phase I of Kazi Mtaani. Some Sh10 billion will be spent on Phase II to primarily pay wages for the six and a half months the programme will run.
The first phase of Kazi Mtaani started at the end of April as a pilot programme and focused on select informal settlements in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kilifi, Kwale, and Mandera counties.
Over 31,648 workers from 34 informal settlements have been cushioned from the adverse economic effects associated with Covid-19.
In Phase 1, the work entailed unclogging drainages, clearing bushes, garbage collection, fumigation and disinfection.
Governor Anyang' Nyong’o said over 7,500 youths will be hired for Kazi Mtaani in Kisumu.
"We are doing well. The first phase was very informative, lessons were learnt,”he said.
- mwaniki fm
