Kakamega: 1966 workers and 66 supervisors are expected to be recruited in Kakamega County under the revamped Kazi Mtaani Initiative starting next month. Kakamega County Commissioner Michael Meru Mwangi, while chairing the County Implementation Committee, said the new initiative dubbed the Climate Workx programme aims to provide employment and daily wages to unemployed youth.
According to Kenya News Agency, the County received 25,392 applications through the digital application portal created by the government, upon which only 1,966 workers and 66 supervisors would be recruited for the exercise. The workers would be spread across all 14 Sub-counties and organized into two cohorts, with each cohort working for 10 consecutive working days, excluding public holidays and weekends.
Mwangi said the initiative would employ youth in road maintenance, drainage improvements, waste management, climate resilience, and public infrastructure maintenance. He directed government implementing agencies to provide technical and supervisory support during the six-month programme.
'Implementing agencies should prioritize access roads with high impact on the community and promote local labour and locally available material to empower the local community,' he said. Key implementing agencies include the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA), and Kenya Forestry Services (KFS).
Mwangi asked other government bodies like the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA), Kenya Red Cross, and the Public Health Department to support the exercise. The Commissioner stated that wages would be Sh500 per day for workers and Sh580 per day for supervisors. Successful candidates would need their National Identity Cards and a Safaricom-registered line for Mpesa.
'The youth to be recruited will be within the 18-35 age bracket, with 50-50 gender parity but restricted to only those who formally applied for the works online,' he added. People with Disabilities (PWDs) would also be considered for specific duties. National Government Administrative (NGAO) officers would coordinate the exercise to ensure successful implementation and adherence to the laid-down regulation.
The government has allocated Sh2 billion targeting to recruit 110,000 youth countrywide for the Climate Resilience Service Programme (CRSP) across all 47 counties.