The government has begun disbursing monthly stipends to more than 100,000 village elders across Kenya.
For many years, the elders have operated at the lowest level of administration, helping resolve disputes, gather security information, mobilize residents, and support chiefs and assistant chiefs.
In August, President William Ruto announced a KSh3,000 monthly stipend, alongside plans for smartphones, training, and health cover.
Village Elders Recognized by The Government
In many villages, elders have served without a regular income despite carrying responsibilities that place them at the center of sensitive family, security and land-related disputes.
The Government has now recognized their contribution by bringing more than 106,000 village elders across the country into the National Government Administration system.
The stipend was allocated in the 2026/27 national budget, with Treasury setting aside KSh3.9 billion for village elders.
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This was intended to strengthen their work and recognize the role they play in conflict resolution, information gathering and community security.
The stipend is KSh3,000 per month, President Ruto said is meant to recognize the work elders do, not to pay for their service.
Kisii Elders Describe Risks of the Job
In Bomariba, Bonchari, Kisii County, the change is significant for elders who have spent years carrying out grassroots responsibilities without financial support.
At 67, Zakaria Ombai has served as a village elder for about 20 years. He oversees approximately 650 households and works with Nyumba Kumi representatives to gather information before briefing the assistant chief on security issues and other community concerns.
Ombai says the work can expose elders to danger, especially when they are called upon to intervene in violent domestic disputes and other tense situations.
Area Chief Trufosa Orina says village elders are important in settling land and boundary disputes because their long residence in the communities gives them knowledge of local histories, families and property boundaries.
‘They help us a lot with issues concerning land boundaries, especially when people disagree over where their boundaries lie. This is because most of them, actually, all of them were born and raised right there in the village, so they know exactly where someone’s boundary ended and where another person’s began,’ said Trufosa.
Another elder, Ondieki, who has served for 16 years, says the stipend has motivated his years of unpaid service. When he received the August payment, he said it was important for elders who had continued serving their communities without financial recognition.
Smartphones, Training and Health Cover
President Ruto announced plans to provide village elders with smartphones to improve communication and enable them to perform their grassroots duties more effectively.
The national budget is expected to fund the devices. The elders will also receive training to strengthen their administrative skills.
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The Government has additionally announced state-supported health insurance cover for the elders under the Social Health Authority, making the package broader than the stipend alone.
For Vincent Bosire, the recognition also carries symbolic importance after being invited to State House by President Ruto after years of community service.
‘Because he has supported us so much. As I said, I have been to State House, a place I had never imagined I would ever visit in my life,’ said Bosire
The recognition has also called for further improvement. Some elders want the monthly payment increased to KSh5,000, arguing that their responsibilities and the risks involved require greater support.
The Government has stated that it wants the arrangement protected from future policy changes.
President Ruto directed the Interior Ministry to prepare a Sessional Paper for Cabinet consideration before the framework is taken to Parliament for enactment into law.
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