Youths under Kazi Mtaani programme to wait longer for pay

 

The Kazi Mtaani programme has informed the youth working under the initiative that the committee is still resolving the final payments for phase 2 of the programme.

Housing PS Charles Hinga said there has been a delay in the processing of payment and efforts are being made to finalise and effect the payment.

"We are still awaiting the provision of budget for the final payment of the extended phase 2 of this program. As soon as we receive the funds, we will process them without delay," he said.

He appealed to the youths to exercise patience as they process payment.

The over 280,000 youth employed from 1,100 informal settlements in the 47 counties have planted millions of trees, created access roads, rehabilitated public facilities, build public toilets, and cleaned informal settlements and rivers among other works.

So far, over Sh10 billion has been utilised in the programme which has put food on the table of many Kenyans and enabled youths to start small thriving businesses.

Last month, the programme took a break to allow the closure of the current financial year ending June 30.

The State Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that a new direction would be given on the way forward in the coming days.

Many youths have raised concerns that the delay had made it worse for them to meet their basic needs and way of livelihood.

The same delay happened in March to all Cohort A Kazi Mtaani youths but was later paid.

The National Treasury in February allocated an additional Sh7 billion for the Kazi Mtaani programme to pay thousands of youth and scale up the initiative to cover the affordable housing project.

The same delay happened in March to all Cohort A Kazi Mtaani youths but was paid after a day.

The National Treasury in February allocated an additional Sh7 billion for the Kazi Mtaani programme to pay thousands of youth and scale up the initiative to cover the affordable housing project.

This was after the Government extended the programme.

The supplementary budget that was tabled in Parliament highlighted that Sh1 billion will be used to pay youths who have gone without pay or received partial payments since last year.

The Kazi Mtaani Program was unveiled in April 2020 as a local economic recovery initiative and a form of social protection designed to cushion the youth and vulnerable citizens in informal settlements.     BY THE STAR