President William Ruto has revamped and renamed former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Kazi Mtaani initiative, introducing new roles for participants. During a National Youth Service (NYS) pass-out ceremony held in Gilgil, the President announced that the program will now be called Climate Work Mtaani and will have a renewed focus on environmental sustainability.
Under the new structure, the program will be overseen by NYS officers who will act as supervisors, guiding the youth in activities aimed at greening Kenya and promoting eco-friendly practices. The President emphasized that this shift is part of the government’s broader commitment to addressing climate change.
“I want to announce that NYS will be supervising the cohort of young people that we will be recruiting under our Climate Work Mtaani initiative,” President Ruto stated during the event in Nakuru.
The President highlighted that the youth engaged in this initiative will play a key role in planting 15 billion trees across the country as part of Kenya’s strategy to combat global warming and ensure ecological stability. This ambitious goal is central to the government’s efforts to integrate more young people into environmental conservation and climate action.
“This program is designed to bring more young people into the space of greening Kenya, managing our environmental sustainability, and ensuring that we respond to climate change through the initiatives we have in place,” President Ruto added.
The President further instructed the NYS leadership to work closely with the ministries of environment, housing, and defense to enhance the effectiveness of the project. This collaboration is intended to streamline efforts as the government works towards meeting its climate targets.
“I am instructing the minister responsible for NYS to work with the ministers in charge of environment, housing, and defense to provide leadership under this initiative, focusing on growing 15 billion trees as part of our climate action response,” President Ruto directed.
Through these updates, the program aims to shift from temporary employment to a long-term environmental agenda that aligns with Kenya’s climate goals while still providing opportunities for the youth.
