The Kenyan government has inducted 25,000 young people into the Climate Worx Programme. The initiative, which is part of the country’s broader climate and sustainability agenda, will see the newly recruited workforce deployed to key sites across informal settlements, riparian corridors, and flood-prone areas.
Spearheaded by the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development in collaboration with county governments, the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC), NYS, civil society, and other partners, Climate Worx aims to revitalize urban ecosystems while empowering communities with green job opportunities.
“This isn’t just about cleaning up our environment,” said Rtd. Brigadier Joseph Muracia, CEO of the Nairobi Rivers Commission. “It’s about restoring dignity to informal workers, revitalizing neglected urban spaces, and building a greener, more inclusive future led by our youth.”
The programme addresses environmental threats such as river pollution, solid waste accumulation, and degradation of public spaces. Previous interventions have yielded visible transformations in areas like Kibra, Dandora, and Lucky Summer, with improvements in sanitation, drainage, and the regeneration of public spaces.
The new workforce comprises a mix of youth, women, NYS graduates, and community-based groups, carefully selected through a structured recruitment process. Their deployment will focus on the ongoing rehabilitation of the 27-kilometre Nairobi River corridor, declared a Special Planning Area (SPA) in March 2025.
Climate Worx delivers on three core pillars: environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and social transformation. By engaging youth in paid work opportunities tied to environmental stewardship, the programme promotes skills development, community inclusion, and the creation of safe, healthy public spaces.
Government officials emphasized the long-term sustainability of the initiative, with continued investment in training, tools, and infrastructure. Additional partnerships with community organizations and development agencies will further strengthen implementation and scale.
As Kenya faces increasing climate and urbanisation pressures, the Climate Worx Programme stands out as a bold and practical model for inclusive, youth-led climate action. The inductees are expected to begin work at new sites in the coming weeks, marking another step toward a cleaner, greener, and more resilient urban future.
