VILLAGE ELDERS TO START EARNING MONTHLY STIPEND

Village elders will receive a monthly stipend starting today, President William Ruto has announced.

“Starting today, every village elder will be paid a monthly stipend of Sh3,000,” the President announced.

Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during an engagement with village elders drawn from across Kenya, President Ruto said elders would also undergo digital literacy training and directed that they be enrolled in the Social Health Authority (SHA) programme.

“Every village elder and their family will be enrolled in SHA, with the government paying for the required contributions,” he said.

The President further directed that village elders be equipped with digital communication gadgets and called for enacting legislation to institutionalise their role within the country’s governance framework.

The move follows the establishment of a policy framework to formally recognise village elders and integrate them into the local administration structure and improve service delivery.

Commending the President for the development, Interior and National Administration CS Kipchumba Murkomen said the government had also increased funding allocations for chiefs to help them serve Kenyans more efficiently.

“In the first quarter of this financial year, we have increased the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) allocation for assistant chiefs from Sh15,000 to Sh30,000, and for chiefs from Sh30,000 to Sh50,000,” the Cabinet Secretary said.

Murkomen further revealed that officers from the National Government Administration Police Unit (NGAPU) had been deployed to enhance the security of NGAO.

“We have deployed 6,000 NGAPU officers to 16 sub-counties, and we look forward to deploying more officers following the graduation of a new contingent,” he said.

The CS also urged village elders to serve all Kenyans fairly and diligently and to continue promoting national cohesion by upholding the values and principles enshrined in the Constitution.