President William Ruto announced on Sunday, October 30, that all youths who worked in the Kazi Mtaani program would be absorbed into another program.
While speaking to a group of people in Kandara Constituency, the Head of State mentioned that there were plans in the works to hire youths to plant trees.
He went on to say that the new program would save Kenya from the devastating consequences of climate change currently being felt in certain parts of the country.
With the goal of planting 5 billion trees by the end of his first term, Ruto indicated that the program was an integral aspect of his regime’s ambitious agenda.
We have decided as Government that we want to join all Kenyan citizens to plant 5 million trees in the next five years. Each one of us, the County Governments, the National Government, all the other agencies, the private sector, and all other traders shall join hands to plant trees to restore our rivers.
The new program, he suggested, will be called “Kazi ya Mazingira.”
“Those jobs that we had such as Kazi Mtaani will be Kazi ya Mazingira. All the youth we employed in Kazi Mtaani will be employed to plant trees. We need to make sure that we have enough trees,” stated the President.
He went on to say that his allies in the National Assembly would change the law to enhance the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) they control in order to guarantee a sufficient number of seedlings are grown.
Following that, the money would be distributed to groups that support young people and women.
“We have agreed that we shall change the law to add CDF money to help MPs offer money to mothers groups and those of youth to produce tree seedlings.
The Head of State further stated, “Unless we modify our environment, climate change is a reality that we must live with.”
Kazi Mtaani was abolished on October 25 after President Ruto claimed it was obsolete and pledged to replace it with new initiatives aimed at young, such as affordable housing.
“Kazi Mtaani is outdated now, the work now is building these houses, and the first people to get jobs in this project will be from Kibra,” Ruto stated, adding that the number of youths being employed under the kazi mtaani program was minimal.
