In a Bill presented to the Budget and Appropriations Committee on March 29, 2023, village elders will soon be registered as administrative officers and paid Ksh1 billion yearly by the national government.
In the amendment bill titled the National Government Coordination Act (Amendment), the Public Service Commission and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission will determine the village elders' salaries.
The budget and Appropriations Committee, led by Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro, is tasked with considering the proposal as they prepare the national budget for the financial year 2023/2024.
The bill sponsored by Malava Member of Parliament (MP) Malulu Injendi seeks to recognise the role of village elders in areas such as dispute resolution and peace initiatives.
“My father was a village elder, and when I propose to have them given an allowance for coordinating government services, I know what I am talking about.
“They work for the national government but without pay and my Bill wants to change this,” noted Injendi.
The bill was first published in 2013 in the first Parliament after the enactment of the 2010 Constitution. It was during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s first term.
It has now been re-introduced to Parliament, 10 years after it was first produced.
“Subject to this Act, a public officer who immediately before the commencement of this Act was serving as a chief, assistant chief, or an administrative officer shall be deemed to be a national government administrative officer appointed under this Act,” the bill reads in part.
If the bill sails through Parliament and is assented to by President Ruto, it is set to add more pressure on the national budget.
However, there is no set plan for how elders will be picked and the extent of their jurisdiction in dispute resolution.
President Ruto repeatedly lamented that the new administration inherited a broke government from the previous administration.
Despite this, the President appointed 50 Chief Administrative Officers (CAS) with a salary of Ksh874,500 per month. The President was also criticised for expunging the subsidies put in place to cushion Kenyans. However, he argued that the subsidies were illegally enacted to benefit selfish individuals.
