The Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) has backed a Bill that will compel the government to pay Sh4.6 billion annually as allowances to village elders.
The committee has approved the publication of the National Government Coordination (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which will see each village elder paid Sh7,000 monthly as allowances.
The Bill, sponsored by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, seeks to remunerate 45,000 village elders who volunteer their services in Kenya's 9,045 sub-locations.
Mr Mutuse told the National Assembly's BAC that each sub-location is expected to have five villages and the village leaders will be paid a monthly allowance of Sh7,000.
"It will cost about Sh4.6 billion annually to pay allowances to the 45,000 village elders. The village elders will be paid Sh7,000 allowance as follows: Sh4,000 monthly sitting allowance for four meetings at Sh1,000 per meeting held at the chief's or sub chief's office every week," said Mr Mutuse.
The village elders will also receive a transport allowance of Sh2,000 per month or Sh500 per week to facilitate attendance at meetings and movement around the village.
The village elders will also receive Sh1,000 per month as airtime allowance to coordinate government agenda in their respective villages.
The Bill gives priority to current village elders for recruitment, which will be done at the community level. Mr Mutuse said there were 3,953 locations in Kenya.
"Village leaders 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," said Mr Mutuse.
"Recognition of village heads is key to giving them the legal backing to carry out their duties and responsibilities."
He urged the committee to approve the bill, arguing that village leaders have continued to coordinate government programmes without pay.
Mr Mutuse said village elders facilitate immunisation, ensure every child goes to school, coordinate and promote disaster response, help resolve land disputes and ensure security through coordination of the Nyumba Kumi initiative.
"This Bill is very timely. We have had this idea in the form of motions passed by the House, but village elders have not been remunerated. We will pass the Bill so that we can pay some allowances to these elders," said Mary Emase, the deputy chairperson of the committee.
Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu said the proposal to pay village elders an allowance was good and would motivate them.
He said village elders are the first point of contact for land disputes and security issues and urged the government to provide the Sh4.6 billion needed to pay village elders.
"This money needs to be factored into the budget. We have costed the Bill and Sh4.6 billion is not too much because the village elders serve the public on the ground," said Mr Mulu.
The committee wants the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to harmonise conditions of service for chiefs and village administrators employed by county governments.
The committee says there is a huge disparity between the terms and conditions of service of national government administrators and county government administrators working at the devolved level of government.
In March, the BAC, chaired by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, cleared a similar Bill that proposes a Sh3,000 monthly allowance for village elders across the country, which will cost taxpayers about Sh1 billion a year.
The National Government Coordination (Amendment) Bill, sponsored by Malava MP Malulu Injendi, seeks to recognise the elders as administrative officers of the national government.
It proposes the payment of allowances to leaders appointed to village councils as determined by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in consultation with the SRC.
The Bill requires the government to pay allowances to at least three village elders in each sub-location.
Data from the Ministry of Interior presented to the BAC of the National Assembly shows that there are 9,045 sub-locations in Kenya.
This means that if Sh3,000 is paid as allowance to three village elders, there will be 27,135 elders who will take home a total of Sh81.4 million per month or Sh976.86 million annually.
