Village Elders To Receive 7,000 Shillings Monthly Allowance

The Budget and Appropriations Committee, BAC, has approved the amendment bill sponsored by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse that will see the village elders receive 7,000 Shillings monthly as an allowance.

The MP is seeking to remunerate 45,000 elders who volunteered their services in Kenya’s 9045 sub-locations. Mr. Mutuse proposed a 7,000 shillings monthly package for the 45,000 volunteer village elders spread across 9,045 sub-locations in the country. Each sub-location, under an assistant chief, will have five village units.

The village elders who have continued to coordinate government programs freely without any allowance will be remunerated and be legally recognized as government officers.

“It will cost about 4.6 million shillings annually to allowances to the 45,000 village elders. The village elders will be paid 7,000 shillings as follows; 4,000 monthly sitting allowance for four meetings at 1,000 shillings per meeting held at the chief or sub-chief office every week” Mutuse said.

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Mr. Mutuse was speaking when he appeared before the Budget and Appropriation Committee (BAC) to present the cost implications of the National Government Coordinating Amendment Bill, 2023.

The Kibwezi lawmaker suggested an allowance be based on a remunerative arrangement “so that those elders who are beyond retirement age but still very useful are not disadvantaged.”

Kibwezi MP said that 500 shillings will be for transport to and from the meeting, amounting to 2000 shillings monthly, and 1,000 shillings monthly for airtime to facilitate communication, amounting to a total of Sh7,000 for each village head monthly. The first-term lawmaker tabled the motion in Parliament last year, which was unanimously passed

The debate also sought amendments to sections 14 and 15 of the National Government Coordinating Act to recognize existing villages as National Government administrative units and pay village heads as the administrative heads of the unity

“Village elders play a key role in the development agenda. This is done through coordination and participation of villagers in various development activities for the betterment of the village” Mr Mutuse said.

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