The government will start paying allowances to village elders who are actively involved in the fight against crimes and resolving disputes.
Already Sh1.2 billion has been set aside to pay the elders across the country, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has said.
He said the government decided to recognise the elders who have been playing a vital role in maintaining security in the expansive rural areas and arbitrating in land and family disputes.
"We have even written to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and very soon, the elders will start getting allowances to boost their morale," said Dr Kibicho.
"We shall give you a good package to enable you [to] discharge your duties without problems," he said.
He directed county commissioner Erastus Ekidor to ensure that elders who attended the Thursday meeting he convened for chiefs, police and senior administrators on security matters be given Sh1,000 each.
"The elders have been assisting in identifying criminal gangs, volunteering crucial security information to the police and resolving disputes, which can easily spark off violence and they must be awarded allowances on [a] monthly basis," said Dr Kibicho.
He said President Uhuru Kenyatta's government has invested more in security than any other regime since independence.
Some Sh3.3 billion, he added, had also been used in helping chiefs and their assistants to do their work of maintaining security and fighting the brewing and consumption of illicit alcohol.
"For the first time in history, chiefs and their assistants have become Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) holders and they no longer ask residents to fuel their vehicles and motor cycles," he said.
At the same time, Dr Kibicho urged young people to acquire national identity cards so they could vote in the 2017 elections.
He called on village elders and chiefs to mobilise those who have attained the age of 18 to get identity cards.
