Hundreds of young people have been employed to gravel feeder roads within Kiharu Constituency, Murang’a County.
Local NG-CDF has engaged local youth in upgrading 25 feeder roads to make them easily accessible especially during rainy seasons.
Those employed are among young people who were rendered jobless by the impact of covid-19.
Each of the roads earmarked to be upgraded will employ 150 youth as casual labourers as most of the work will be done manually.
Area MP, Ndindi Nyoro said in past years, local residents have been involved in doing construction works thus ensuring they earn some income.
Covid-19, Nyoro observed that has left many people jobless countrywide and the local NG-CDF has come up with a programme to engage especially youth in gravelling feeder roads in the constituency.
In a day, those engaged in the works take home about Sh. 1,000, an amount said to be better in cushioning the impact of covid-19.
Ndindi who was speaking on Monday while inspecting gravelling works along the 7.2-kilometre long Githioro, Ndutumi, Ndaraca-ini road in Mugoiri ward noted that the project will ease transport operations in the area while putting money in the pockets of residents.
“A section of local residents lost their livelihoods after their jobs were hit by the impact of covid-19. Engaging the young people in gravelling the roads will assist them earn some money,” noted Nyoro.
The legislator further said they opted to go direct in employing residents instead of engaging contractors who just employ few people and pocket more profit.
“We decided that any sort of work that can be done manually will be done by locals so that we not only develop the area but also empower residents,” the MP said, adding that the roads will boost agricultural activities.
The workers who report at the project at 8’00am are clustered into groups, each being assigned to level a lorry of gravel at a time. They are then paid per lorry and the money subdivided equally among them.
One of the workers, Ng’ang’a Gachugu lauded the project saying it has provided him with income after his former job was disrupted by covid-19.
He said the graveling of the roads will also help them to access farms and markets easily since before they used long routes to access some areas.
His sentiments were echoed by Mary Wakari who said many of the young people being engaged in the projects were idling in towns and at risk of being indulged into criminal activities.
From early this year, Kiharu NG-CDF has trained hundreds of youth on technical courses to ensure projects are implemented on a labor basis through locals.
Since he was elected, Nyoro has renovated and installed tiles in classrooms of over 60 primary schools, renovated over nine administrative offices and built six from scratch.
By Bernard Munyao
