Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has denied claims that the government is underpaying youths recruited under the Kazi Mtaani program.
A section of politicians allied with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party claims the government is paying the young people engaged under the National Hygiene Program (NHP) Ksh450 instead of Ksh1,000 diverting the rest of the money to campaigns.
Kibicho dismisses UDA claims
But in an interview on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, Kibicho rubbished the claims, insisting that the Ksh450 is the amount that was budgeted for under the hygiene program.
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He challenged the politicians led by Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua and his Kiharu counterpart Ndindi Nyoro to table evidence showing the youths were supposed to be paid at least Ksh1,000 allowances per day.
“I would want them to produce the Hansard report confirming their argument that indeed, MPs legislated the amount they claim. This should be fairly easy to prove as the National Assembly is a House of records,” Kibicho said.
The PS also refuted claims that the government is using the program to influence the August 9 general election.
The UDA politicians including presidential candidate William Ruto claim the third phase of the project is tailored to hoodwink Kenyans into supporting Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition candidate Raila Odinga.
Ruto, in a recent TV interview, claimed some senior government officials who 'sabotaged the Big 4 Agenda and the Jubilee Administration's Housing plan' are to blame for the employment crisis in the country.
"The officials want a situation where we have all these desperate young people who are easy to manipulate. That is why today we have you have this Kazi Mtaani thing. It's really insulting to the young people of our nation that you sabotage the program of housing and value addition that would have given decent jobs and then because there is an election you have rolled out Kazi Mtaani," Ruto said.
The Kazi Mtaani initiative was launched in April 2020, to cushion the youth living in informal settlements from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy. The government engaged the young people in street cleaning activities to eke a living after most of them lost their jobs.
