The Other Face Of Mathare Residents as They Benefit From NYS's Slum Upgrading Programme

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.

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.