President William Ruto on Thursday launched the National Climate Resilience Programme, which aims to create job opportunities for 200,000 youth across the country, focusing on environmental projects in their communities.
Also known as Climate WorX Mtaani, the initiative seeks to enhance the livability of Kenya’s cities by greening urban spaces, cleaning, and rejuvenating rivers.
Speaking in Korogocho during the launch along the heavily polluted Nairobi River, the President said, “Climate WorX is a powerful, incisive, and transformative intervention aimed at achieving ecological restoration while maintaining public infrastructure and housing through labor-intensive and sustainable public works.”
The first phase of Climate WorX in Nairobi County will officially begin on October 1, 2024, onboarding 20,000 youth. This will complement the ongoing efforts of Komp Green Youths, an environmental conservation group working in partnership with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to clean the Nairobi River.
Within a month, the program will be rolled out to Kenya’s other major cities: Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Nakuru, where 40,000 additional youth will be engaged. Another 10,000 youths will be allocated to other areas of Nairobi by early November.
By December, the initiative will expand to all counties nationwide, bringing on board an additional 139,902 young people.
“Our vision for Climate WorX is to activate talent and capability in community service, entrepreneurship, employment, and further education,” the President emphasized, assuring that the opportunities will be distributed equally across the country.
Climate WorX also aims to eliminate illegal dumping of solid waste, prevent effluent discharge in urban areas, and help communities become more resilient to the adverse effects of climate change.
The President directed relevant agencies to fully enforce waste management laws without exception to safeguard the environment.
He called on the private sector and development partners to collaborate with the government to ensure the success of the project.
In addition, the President announced the government’s commitment to providing 40,000 social housing units to those displaced from riparian areas by the El Niño rains. These houses will be rented out for only KSh3,000 per month.
Also in attendance at the event were Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, various Cabinet Secretaries, members of the diplomatic corps, and partners in the Climate WorX project.
