Government to Give Village Elders New Duties in New Plan
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo have announced a new proposal aimed at reforming how village elders operate in Kenya.
The proposed law, known as the National Government Coordination (Administrative Units) Regulations, 2025, seeks to officially recognize the important role that village elders play at the grassroots level while also addressing some of the challenges linked to their informal leadership.
In their official statement, Murkomen and Omollo emphasized that village elders are a key part of local governance and leadership.
However, they noted that some elders have been accused of using their positions to hide crimes instead of helping solve them.
This has led to concerns, especially in serious cases like sexual violence and mysterious deaths, where justice is denied because matters are settled “out of court” at the village level.
Families affected by such tragedies are often left in pain without any formal justice.
To address this, the new Bill proposes bringing village elders under the official structure of the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs).
This move would help to eliminate corrupt and untrustworthy elders and ensure better leadership in rural areas.
The Interior Ministry is also planning to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each village elder.
By giving them a formal job description, the government hopes to increase their accountability and improve their contribution to community welfare.
Some of the new duties proposed in the Bill include helping to resolve local disputes, confirming and documenting important events or issues in the community, gathering security and intelligence information, and supporting government policies and development projects.
Village elders will also be expected to support social welfare and community development by identifying vulnerable people who may need government help, as well as participating in training and capacity-building programs to boost their skills.
According to Murkomen and Omollo, the public and key stakeholders gave overwhelming support for this idea during consultations.
They believe that by officially recognizing the work of elders through law, it will strengthen their role in justice, governance, and local security.
It will also help separate traditional methods of solving disputes from serious matters that require intervention by the legal system.
As part of this transformation, the government will also begin paying village elders a regular allowance or stipend.
Although the specific amount has not yet been disclosed, the payment is seen as a major step toward valuing their work and formally integrating them into government service.
This plan to reform village leadership is part of a wider effort by the Ministry of Interior to establish and operationalize 1,105 new administrative units across the country.
These include the creation of 24 new sub-counties, 88 new divisions, 318 new locations, and 675 new sub-locations, aimed at improving government service delivery at the local level.
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