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| Mathare Slum Civil Workers Ready For Tasks Ahead |
National Youths Service work in Mathare is more than just
constructions services underway in the Kenya’s second largest slum.
Youths who have been jobless for many years are now proud to
call themselves employed since the president’s launch of slum upgrading
programme targeting major slums in Nairobi.
Workers, commonly known as Slum Civil Workers, are grouped
in alphabetical groups with each group headed by NYS personnel who in turn
report back to the field managers.
The work is so lucrative that has attracted even those
hardcore youths who first saw it as a dirty job in initial stages.
With daily incentive of Ksh470, most youths have joined in
the course of turning Mathare slums into a better place for persons living in
these Nairobi suburbs.
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| Mathare Slum Civil Worker Resting |
The money is divided
into two phases; the biweekly pay of roughly Ksh3200 and the remainder is kept by the government
as saving waiting for the big day—after a period of six months.
Youths are given different locations to work on everyday.
Each groups is directed to work in a certain location like in cleaning sewerage
systems, fixing spilling water systems, cleaning the river running in Mathare
area, helping in constructions of roads etc,
Although there have been cases of missing names on the
payroll, majority of workers are very happy with this work and can do anything
to get the money in their M-Pesa accounts at the end of waiting time.
At first, there were a few cases of ghost workers in slum
upgrading programme in Mathare slum but those who were found ditching their
duties were terminated from the list and their positions were taken by new members.
According to the village headman, Mathare youths are turning
into productive members of the society as the crime rate has decreased since
beginning this project.
