Climate Worx expands as 25,000 more youth inducted into national green workforce

The induction ceremony held at Uhuru Gardens saw the formal onboarding of new workers who will be deployed to various sites across Nairobi City, with a focus on high-density informal settlements, riparian corridors, and flood-prone urban zones.

Spearheaded by the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development, in collaboration with county governments, the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC), NYS, and civil society partners, the Climate Worx programme aims to restore degraded urban environments while creating meaningful employment opportunities for young people.

“This is not just about cleaning up our environment,” said NRC CEO Joseph Muracia.

"It is about restoring dignity to informal workers, revitalising our cities, and enabling the youth to lead the way in building a greener, more inclusive future.”

The newly inducted cohort comprises youth, women, NYS graduates, and community-based groups that were recruited over the past several months. 

They will work in locations such as Kibra, Dandora, and Lucky Summer, where the program has already achieved visible results in riverbank restoration, drainage improvement, and sanitation upgrades.

One of the program’s key focus areas is the 27-kilometre Nairobi River corridor, currently undergoing phased rehabilitation under a Special Planning Area (SPA) framework declared in March 2025.

Officials say the initiative offers triple-layered benefits: environmental (cleaner rivers and greener spaces), economic (jobs and skills for youth), and social (safer, healthier communities).

With today’s induction, Climate Worx enters its next phase of scale-up. 

More workers will be mobilised in the coming weeks through local partnerships and sectoral agencies. Government officials reaffirmed their commitment to sustainability, highlighting continued investment in training, tools, and coordinated action across all levels.

According to President William Ruto, today's event reaffirms the government's commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for young people while advancing environmental conservation.

"We are proud of the programme’s success in cleaning up Nairobi River," he said.

"We are now expanding our reach by deploying more youth to active and emerging Climate WorX sites, particularly in high-density informal settlements, riparian corridors, and flood-prone urban areas."

He said the target is to engage over 200,000 youth across the country through this programme.

Present during the event were Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, Ouma Oluga (Medical Services), Fikirini Jacobs (Youth), Dennis Itumbiz (Head of Creative Economy), SHA CEO Mercy Mwangangi, and Langata MP Phelix Odiwuor, among others.