MPs want Kazi Mtaani halted

Members of Parliament now want the Kazi Mtaani initiative launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta halted saying it was poorly planned and is just an avenue to embezzle public funds.

The lawmakers told Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani that the initiative is not viable and the government needs to go back to the drawing board in “a bid to structure the project in an efficient way”.

Speaking Wednesday during the second day of the third National Assembly leadership retreat, the lawmakers complained that majority of the youth especially in the constituencies have been locked out of the programme.

Limuru MP Peter Mwathi said the programme is causing more division among the youth due to the exclusion of others.

Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi said the government needs to check the value of the money paid to the youth and the work they do.

“When you go to the constituency, the youth are doing drainage today, the following day they do the same thing. Imagine if we can use these young people to make desks or something that we can measure the output or utilise their skills effectively?” posed Mr Cheboi.

Chairman Budget and Appropriation committee Kanini Kega said the program is not sustainable and there is a need for a change of plan.

“We need to think about how we can sustain the program beyond the recommended period,” Mr Kega said.

However, Treasury CS said the program will continue until the end of the year as intended in order to assist the youth get back to their feet after the effects of covid-19

Although Mr Yatani admitted that in some areas the program was hurriedly introduced without a proper plan, they are currently putting up measures to ensure it lives up to its intended objective.

“We have put up accountability measures that that will be rolled out soon so that the program can continue until the economy stabilized and the people can go back to their jobs,” Mr Yatani said.

The program is geared at integrating jobless Kenyans in urban hygiene and sanitation work across 23 informal settlements in the country.

It provides employment and daily wages for low-income workers living informal settlements while improving urban infrastructure and service delivery within informal settlements.

The program aims at reaching out a total population of 669,000 households across all the 290 constituencies.

The current payroll figure stands at 341,958 households and targeting for other households is still going and all needy households will be reached by October this year.

So far, out of the Sh10 billion that the government allocated for the purpose of cushioning the elderly citizens, orphans and vulnerable members of the society, the government has disbursed Sh1.3 billion for phase one kazi mtaani project, Sh2.4 billion and sh5.6 billion has been earmarked for phase three.