Climate WorX mtaani initiative to employ more than 200,000 people - President Ruto

Nairobi, 

Thursday, 12 September, 2024 

McCreadie Andias 

President William Ruto has officially rolled out the Climate WorX mtaani initiative in Korogocho area of Nairobi County on Thursday afternoon. 

The initiative is set to promote environmental conservation while providing employment opportunities to the immediate community. 

The initiative will start in Nairobi county before rolling out to other counties progressively. 

The president said the Initiative will roll out employment to about 200,000 people. 

"The national government's climate action and livelihoods initiative will engage approximately 200,000 youth in environmental sustainability programmes." President Ruto said. 

The initiative will also support the government's agenda to plant 15 billion trees by 2030. 

" Climate change is an existential threat facing humanity today. We must confront it head on. That is why polluters of the environment must be held to account." President Ruto said. 

The project will also boost effort to regenerate the 45KM Nairobi River Basin

The initiative is also aimed at promoting climate resilience and sustainable development in the country while it focuses on addressing the impacts of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and extreme weather events, which affect Kenyan communities, economies, and ecosystems.

During the event the President has also committed to start a fishing project in Nairobi River and Clean the Nairobi River. 

"We will ensure that this river is cleaned up so that it can be a good place to start fishing and ensure that the water is beneficial to our future generations."

At the same time, Ruto said all enablers of river pollution will pay dearly for their bad behaviours.

Ruto said they must all be ready to be held accountable for their actions, in the spirit of extended producer responsibility.

He insisted those responsible for pollution must also be ready to take responsibility so that the rivers in the country can be kept clean.

"Those entities that are polluting our rivers will be held responsible. The raw sewage coming from our public entities, the solid waste that is in this river coming from different places, on the basis of extended producer responsibility; each and every one of them will be held to account," he said. 

"All of us, if you pollute the rivers, you must prepare to make sure that you are held to account and you pay for it so that we can keep the river clean and everybody becomes responsible for their behaviour. If you are not in good behaviour know that you are going to pay for bad behaviour."