Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, revealed why he launched the Kazi Mtaani initiative at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which plagued the last part of his administration.
Speaking during the second day of the ongoing inaugural East Africa Region Global Health Security Summit at the PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort Convention Centre in Mombasa, Uhuru said the programme was intended to be a social initiative to put money in the pockets of vulnerable urban dwellers.
“Many urban citizens rely on a daily income to sustain themselves. With many casuals at home as a result of the lockdown without a source of income; the big question remained how could we effectively look after this part of our population,” Uhuru quipped.
“That is how my government came up with the Kazi Mtaani programme. The programme was intended to put money in people’s pockets to be able to sustain themselves during the difficult time.”
The retired president spoke during the three-day event in his capacity as the AU-Kenya Peace Envoy and Facilitator of the EAC-Led Nairobi Peace Process.
Pay cut
Uhuru equally mentioned that he had to convince senior state officers to take a pay cut in line with austerity measures taken by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
” Myself and the Deputy President took an immediate salary cut of 80 per cent while I ordered the Cabinet Secretaries to take a 30 per cent cut and Principal Secretaries 20 per cent; in order to show that commitment and leadership starts at the top,” Uhuru remarked.
The programme enabled youth from various informal settlements across the 47 counties to have a regular income during the lockdown, with many industries closed down and public gatherings restricted.
Kazi Mtaani initiative
The youth worked from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm from Monday to Friday, with the exception of public holidays.
The regular workers were paid Ksh450 while supervisors got Ksh550 after working in shifts of two weeks.
During the pandemic, the World Bank hailed the Kazi Mtaani initiative as transformative, noting that it had reduced significantly the rate of crime.
Uhuru at the time lauded the project, mentioning that it had injected remarkable growth in the economy.
“I am happy to note that Kazi Mtaani, various tax reliefs and aid poise programs have reflected as a strong revenue performance for the country, increasing it by some 26.8 per cent,” Uhuru said on October 20, 2021.
