At least 2,500 youth are now engaged in gainful employment within Nakuru, following the launch of Kazi kwa Vijana initiationve in the municipality a few months ago.

The youths, who were recruited in two batches, have been employed to all 15 wards within the municipality where their work is slowly putting the once famed cleanest town in East and Central Africa back on the path of regaining its former glory.

Heaps of garbage that had become a common feature of the town are quickly disappearing just as the previous clogged drainage systems are giving way to open ones.

According to Nakuru Council's director of environment Mr Sammy Kimani, the council received more than Sh25 million ($330,000) that was dispatched in two batches after the launch in March this year.

However, the council has not received any further funds putting into jeopardy the programmes that had been initiated earlier.

Mr Kimani said the initiative has played a major role in ensuring that Nakuru remains clean in spite of the council's limited workforce.

Residents of various housing estates have also welcomed the new status of the estates saying that they take pride in living in a clean environment.

Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) initiative was established by the government to alleviate joblessness among the youth. Accoring to implementation programme of the KKV initiative, at least 15,000 jobs were to be created in urban centres through garbage collection and waste management projects.

A further 50,000 jobs were to be created in water and irrigation projects, 105,000 in trees for jobs projects while 50,000 would be created in roads projects.

Nakuru town and its environs produce at least 250 tonnes of garbage on any given day. The council has the capacity to collect only 40 per cent of the amount.

With its workforce that is directly in cleaning the Central Business District and Council housing estates standing t 100, those workers are clearly overwhelmed.

The KKV was therefore a welcome initiative with garbage collection rising to 402 tones collected within one day, says Mr Kmani: "Without support for the KKV, the town would surely slide back to its days of piled garbage heaps."