Thousands of village elders nationwide will begin receiving monthly payments of Sh3,000 following parliamentary endorsement of the current budget.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi is scheduled to present the key points of the 2026-27 budget next Thursday.
Parliament is currently examining the Budget and Appropriation Committee’s report which recommends the monthly Sh3,000 allowance to acknowledge the elders’ contributions to local governance and conflict resolution.
Members of Parliament supported the initiative during discussions focused on enhancing the national government’s village-level administrative mechanisms.
Budget and Appropriation Committee vice chairperson Robert Pukose indicated that the committee determined recognition was due for the elders’ community contributions.
“The budget addresses all sectors, and for the first time, we have allocated Sh3.5 billion specifically for village elder stipends,” Pukose stated while supporting the budget report.
“Through this budget, we expect National Government Administration Officers to implement the Sh3,000 monthly payments to village elders. This represents just the beginning.”
These local administrators have served voluntarily for decades alongside chiefs and assistant chiefs in municipal administration and security functions.
The financial support will assist village elders who have long functioned as the primary resource for resolving neighborhood conflicts, organizing community participation in government initiatives, and supporting security efforts, frequently without any formal compensation.
This allowance aims to improve the living conditions of the elders while boosting service quality at the community level.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo informed MPs during his appearance before the security committee last month that approximately 110,000 village elders would benefit from the program nationwide.
He mentioned that the Ministry of Interior had finalized a policy framework and selection criteria for identifying qualified village elders after extensive consultations with stakeholders.
“The discussion concerning village elders commenced in 2016 when Parliament provided guidance to the ministry. Nearly a decade has passed to reach this point,” Omollo informed the committee led by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.
The principal secretary further specified that the administration would guarantee that only elders not receiving other governmental assistance programs, including the elderly social protection initiative or community health worker schemes, would be eligible for the stipend.