The government will spend Sh2.7 billion annually to keep village elders on its payroll, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has revealed.
This translates to Sh226 million per month, with the village elders set to pocket Sh5,000 every month.
The elders will, however, wait for MPs to pass the National Government Coordination (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which is currently at the committee stage.
Omollo spoke when he appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Administration and Internal Security, which was deliberating on the proposed Bill.
The committee is chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.
The National Government Coordination Amendment Bill, 2023, sought to have the village council comprising elders and headed by a village administrator as part of the national government service delivery unit.
This goes along in recognising the role the elders are doing in coordinating national government functions at the grassroots.
According to the Bill, village administrators were to be designated as chairpersons of the village council, which would have not less than three and not more than five village elders.
This is the first time the state has made substantial progress in rewarding the elders, who handle, among others, boundaries issues as well as peaceful co-existence in communities.
In the proposal, at least five village elders per sublocation will be entitled to a monthly stipend from the taxpayers.
“Using a rough estimate of five village elders in a sublocation, who will be paid Sh5,000 monthly, it will translate to Sh226,675,000,” Omollo said.
"We are looking at an outlook, which give or take will be Sh200 million.”
Expressing confidence in having the elders on government payroll, the PS said the resources required are manageable.
“When we look into resources required to coordinate all this, we shouldn’t have a big problem convincing the National Treasury to give us the resources,” he told the committee.
MPs sitting at the committee also rooted for the Bill committing to back it on the floor of the House.
Tongoyo termed the role of the village elders vital to Kenyans.
“This is doable, considering the much help that these village elders give to this country. It's a figure we should be comfortable with,” he said.
Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma said the move is long overdue.
“The biggest hinderance to the formalisation of village elders has been finances. It's something we have failed severally to unlock. Now that it’s coming from the relevant department, a burden has been taken back from us,” he said.
The MPs also pushed for the harmonisation of villages to avert disagreements, especially in insecurity-prone areas and border regions.
Kisumu West MP Roza Buyu cautioned that unless the villages are streamlined, the move may see tension among communities.
“The biggest thing we must do to avoid conflict on the ground is to deal with village as is using the county setup. A village is a village whether it is known by the county or the national government. It should be the same unit,” she said.