No graft, nepotism, nonpayment in Kazi Mtaani - State

The government has denied accusations of financial irregularities, nepotism and nonpayment of wages in the Kazi Mtaani programme to help slum families affected by Covid-19.

Housing PS Charles Hinga said on Friday in Naivasha the accusations were untrue and the vast majority of young workers have been paid. He said a payment app has been developed for Phase Two.

He said more than 283,000 youths have been hired countrywide in Phase Two that will improve infrastructure – roads and buildings – in the informal settlements.

The six-month programme will hire youths in all 47 counties, he said.

The government, meantime, announced it had reduced the daily stipends for the youths from Sh650 to Sh455 per day so more can be hired.

“The first phase targeted hygiene, sanitation, clearing bushes and unclogging drainage systems,” Hinga said.

The government will no longer use contractors and instead will use community workers in the second phase, he said.

“We have already started this project that will train youths in various skills so they can work on access roads and rehabilitate government buildings,” the PS said.

“In the second phase we have developed an app to pay the youths and at the moment the majority of them have been paid,” the PS said.

Kang’ethe Thuku, principal administrative secretary for Interior, deplored increasing cases of teenage pregnancy and the rising use of drugs and illicit liquor.

The Kazi Mtaani initiative was meant to empower young people and keep them away from illicit sex and drugs, he said.

“We are asking the youths to wisely use the wages meant to assist them during these hard times,” Thuku said.

He praised the provincial administration for hiring and counselling youths.

“The youths were hired using Nyumba Kumi clusters that identified the worst-affected families and this has worked wonders during these hard times,” Thuku said.

(Edited by V. Graham)