The government has proposed a monthly stipend of Ksh 3,000 for village elders in a move aimed at formally recognising their role in supporting local administration and community security across the country.
The proposal was presented before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security during the scrutiny of the 2026/2027 budget estimates at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday.
Government Moves to Formalise Village Elders’ Role
Interior PS Raymond Omollo said the programme is expected to benefit approximately 110,000 village elders nationwide if approved by Parliament.
According to Omollo, the Ministry of Interior has already developed a policy framework and criteria for identifying village elders after 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,” he told the committee.
The stipend is expected to take effect in the next financial year, with the government having already made budgetary provisions for the initiative.
“Our expectation is that we will be giving a stipend of KSh 3,000 to each village elder and the amount that has been provisioned for will be almost enough to take us through the whole year,” said Omollo.
The PS noted that only elders not already benefiting from other government support programmes, such as the elderly social safety net or community health promoter initiatives, would qualify for the payments.
Push for Higher Pay
MPs, however, argued that the proposed amount should be increased to match the stipends currently paid to community health promoters.
Committee Chairperson and Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo described the proposal as a major milestone but said the amount should ideally be enhanced.
“We had nothing before, but maybe we should have put them at par with the community health promoters,” he said.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya also backed calls for an increase, suggesting that village elders be paid KSh 5,000 monthly if they are formally anchored within the National Administration structure.
“I hope they are anchored within the National Administration structure. If that is the case, then I would support the idea that they need to have an enhanced amount to Ksh 5,000,” said Kaunya.
Tongoyo acknowledged that raising the stipend to Ksh 5,000 would increase the annual budget to between Ksh 5.5 billion and Ksh 6 billion but noted that discussions with the Budget Committee and the National Treasury could still be pursued.
Lawmakers nevertheless welcomed the initiative, describing it as the first formal government effort to recognize village elders, who have historically served voluntarily alongside chiefs and assistant chiefs in maintaining security and local administration.
