Village elders across the country could soon begin receiving a monthly stipend of Sh3,000 under a new government proposal aimed at formally recognising their role in grassroots administration and community security.
The plan was unveiled by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security during scrutiny of the 2026/2027 budget estimates on Wednesday.
According to the PS, the programme is expected to benefit about 110,000 village elders nationwide if approved by Parliament.
Dr Omollo told MPs that the Ministry of Interior had already developed a policy framework and criteria for identifying village elders following years of consultations and public participation.
“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,” stated Dr Omollo.
He noted that village elders have for years played a critical role in supporting chiefs and assistant chiefs in local administration, security matters and dispute resolution despite working on a voluntary basis.
Under the proposal, each elder would receive a monthly stipend of Sh3,000 beginning in the next financial year.
“Our expectation is that we will be giving a stipend of Sh3,000 to each village elder and the amount that has been provisioned for will be almost enough to take us through the whole year,” he added.
The PS also clarified that the government intends to ensure only elders who are not already benefiting from other state support programmes qualify for the stipend.
He explained that those already enrolled under the social safety net programme for the elderly or serving as community health promoters would not be eligible for the additional payment.
Members of the committee welcomed the move but argued that the proposed amount should be increased to match what community health promoters currently receive.
Committee Chairperson MP Gabriel Tongoyo described the proposal as a major step towards recognising the contribution of village elders but suggested that the stipend be reviewed upwards.
“We had nothing before, but maybe we should have put them at par with the community health promoters,” said Mr Tongoyo.
