Why village elders could soon smile all the way to the bank

The government has proposed a monthly stipend of Sh3,000 for village elders as part of a new policy framework aimed at formally recognising the grassroots administrators.

The village administrators have for decades worked voluntarily alongside chiefs and assistant chiefs in local administration and security matters.

However, MPs have pushed for the amount to be increased to Sh5,000, arguing that village elders play a critical role in maintaining peace, mobilising communities and supporting government programmes at the grassroots.

The proposal emerged during a sitting of the National Assembly’s Security Committee as lawmakers scrutinised the 2026-27 budget estimates for the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo defended the proposed allocation, saying the government had finally developed a policy to formally recognise village elders after years of informal service.

Omollo told MPs that discussions on formalising the role of village elders began in 2016 following directions issued by Parliament, but the process had taken nearly a decade due to extensive consultations and policy development.

“The conversation about village elders began in 2016 and the House actually gave directions to the ministry. It has taken almost 10 years to get us here,” Omollo told the committee.

He said the ministry had already submitted to Parliament a comprehensive policy framework and criteria for identifying and selecting village elders across the country.

“We have about 110,000 villages as of today and the documents submitted to the committee and the House include the village elders policy as well as the criteria for their selection,” he said.

According to Omollo, village elders have historically played a vital role in assisting chiefs and assistant chiefs in dispute resolution, grassroots administration, community mobilisation and security operations despite lacking formal recognition or remuneration.

“What has been missing is recognition, which we have now addressed through a policy that underwent public participation and also benefited from the input of this committee,” he said.

The PS appealed to Parliament to fast-track approval of the policy before the beginning of the next financial year to pave the way for implementation of the stipend programme.

Under the proposal, every recognised village elder would receive Sh3,000 monthly beginning in the next financial year, subject to parliamentary approval of the policy and budgetary allocations.

“Our expectation is that we will be giving a stipend of Sh3,000 per month to each village elder and the amount provisioned for would be adequate, almost enough to take us through the whole year,” Omollo said.

He added that the ministry would introduce measures to avoid double benefits by ensuring that only elders not already benefiting from other government programmes qualify for the stipend.

Omollo said individuals already enrolled under the government’s social safety net initiative for the elderly or serving as Community Health Promoters would not be eligible for the payments.

Despite welcoming the initiative, lawmakers said the proposed stipend remained too low considering the demanding nature of the work performed by village elders, many of whom act as the first point of contact between citizens and the government.

Committee chairperson Gabriel Tongoyo described the policy as a major milestone but urged the ministry to increase the amount to match what Community Health Promoters receive.

“We had nothing before, but maybe we should have put them at par with the Community Health Promoters,” Tongoyo said.

Tongoyo acknowledged that increasing the stipend to Sh5,000 would significantly raise the overall budgetary allocation but argued that the matter deserved further discussions with the National Treasury and the Budget Committee.

“The President has already pronounced himself on this issue during a meeting with chiefs. It is a conversation we can still pick up with the Budget Committee and among ourselves so that we see whether there is a way of enhancing it to at least Sh5,000,” he said.

Lawmakers noted that village elders often play a key role in identifying security threats, resolving local disputes, coordinating community activities and mobilising wananchi during government programmes and emergencies.

Teso North MP Oku Kaunya sought clarification on the legal framework anchoring village elders within the National Administration structure, saying formal recognition must be backed by clear legislation and policy guidelines.

“I hope they are anchored according to the earlier policy guidance within the National Administration Act. If that is the case, then I would support the idea that they need to have an enhanced amount to Sh5,000, which would be reasonable,” she said.

Tongoyo noted that raising the stipend to Sh5,000 could push the annual programme cost to between Sh5.5 billion and Sh6 billion, a move likely to trigger further budgetary negotiations.

Nevertheless, MPs unanimously welcomed the move as the first formal government effort to recognise village elders, many of whom have served communities for years without pay despite being central to local administration and grassroots security operations.