Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja has said that the Kazi Mtaani programme, which offered unemployed youth environmental jobs, reduced the crime rate in Nairobi County by 47%.
Speaking on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, affirmed that the initiative had played a key role in reducing crime rates in the city and enabling the jobless secure incomes.
Sakaja also praised and likened the Housing Fund to the ‘Kazi Mtaani’ programme noting that the initiative would create jobs and enable youths and women in the society to eke a living.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating businesses to provide employment for the youth.
The governor further urged President William Ruto to bring back the ‘Kazi Mtaani’ initiative or something akin to it so as to create more employment opportunities for the youth and reduce the spate of crime in the city.
“Hatuezi andika kila mtu afanye kazi kwa county (We cannot employ everyone to work in the county government) our work is to build businesses that will employ our young people,” he stated.
“Tunashukuru mambo ya housing kwa sababu hapo ndio mtapata kazi, kina mama mtapika hapo. Kazi mtaani vile ilikua ata crime ilipungua. Crime ilkua imepungua na 47 percent. Ndo maana tunaomba rais hio kazi irudi tena, na kama si kwa njia hio irudi kwa njia ile ambayo itapatikana, kupanda miti na kujenga manyumba,” Sakaja added.
The Kazi Mtaani programme was launched in 2020 under Kenyatta’s administration.
At the time, Kenyatta indicated that the programme would help cushion the youth from the harsh economic times following the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The job involved cleaning the streets for a sum of Ksh500.
However, the programme was abolished by President Ruto in October 2022.
