The Ministry of Transport has stated the pay for the Kazi Mtaani program has been constant since the program’s second phase began.
Through a statement, Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia noted that the pay-out will remain the same even during the program’s third phase, which will last three months.
“The wages provided for working youth under the program are Sh455 per day for workers and Sh505 per day for supervisors. These payment rates were set at the start of Phase II in July 2020 and have not changed, in this third iteration of the program, the payment rates will remain the same,” Macharia said.
The explanation comes after Deputy President William Ruto claimed in an interview with a local TV station on Sunday that the program was a planned theft of the little money set aside for the kids.
As per Ruto’s claim, young people participating in the National Hygiene program should earn more than the Sh500 per day they are already receiving.
He also accused government officials of undermining the Big 4 Agenda, which would have produced more jobs for youth, and pushed for the Kazi Mtaani initiative to be implemented because the election was close.
“Officials want a situation where we have desperate young people who are easy to manipulate and that is why we have this Kazi Mtaani thing, you pay young people Sh1,000… I hear now it’s not even that because someone has run away with Sh500,” Ruto stated.
The pay was revised in the second phase of the program, according to Macharia, because it was enlarged and approved to recruit over 280,000 kids from across the country.
He said that around half of the youths who participated in the second phase expressed an interest in participating in the third phase of Kazi Mtaani.
“It is important to note also that while the program was promised Sh10 billion by His Excellency the President, Parliament only approved an additional Sh2.5 billion for this financial year. The activities of the program will therefore be covering three (3) months, “Macharia highlighted.
The program’s third phase has also been increased, with 533,608 adolescents from all wards around the country participating.