Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has announced the government’s plan to pay village elders across the country a Ksh3,000 monthly stipend.

Speaking on Wednesday, May 13, while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, PS Omollo said the programme would benefit about 110,000 village elders nationwide.

PS Omollo noted that the Ministry of Interior has already developed a policy framework and criteria for the identification of 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,” said PS Omollo.

According to PS Omollo, the village elders will start earning the monthly stipend beginning the 2026-2027 financial year if parliament approves the policy.

“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 said.

He further said only village elders who do not benefit from other state support programs would qualify for the stipend.

The Committee Chairperson, Gabriel Tongoyo, welcomed the proposal but said the stipend should match what community health promoters receive.

“We had nothing before, but maybe we should have put them at par with the community health promoters,” said the Narok West MP.

Teso North lawmaker Oku Kaunya, on his part, questioned the legal and administrative structure under which village elders would operate.

Kaunya observed that the framework should clearly define its reporting hierarchy within the National Administration system, adding that they should receive an enhanced amount of Ksh5,000.

“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 Sh5,000, which would be reasonable,” he said.