Village Elders Set To Receive Monthly Allowance, Health Cover After Ruto’s Directive
President William Ruto has announced sweeping reforms for Kenya’s more than 106,000 village elders.
This includes the introduction of monthly allowances, comprehensive health insurance and the issuance of smartphones as the government moves to formally recognise the grassroots administrators.
Ruto said the government would ensure that all village elders, together with their spouses and children, are enrolled under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
He was speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with village elders and their representatives from the country’s 106,000 villages.
The President directed Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to allocate funds in the next Supplementary Budget to facilitate the health insurance cover for the village elders.
“CS Mbadi, I hereby direct you that in the Supplementary Budget you ensure that we have budgeted money for the village elders to be paid for SHA for the November-December cycle,” Ruto directed.
Beyond health insurance, Ruto announced that village elders will undergo training in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital literacy to equip them with skills needed for modern public administration.
He added that village elders, chiefs and assistant chiefs will also receive smartphones and other digital devices to improve communication and enable faster submission of official reports.
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The Head of State further assured chiefs that their work would now fall directly under the Office of the President, strengthening the country’s administrative structure from the grassroots level.
To cement the reforms, Ruto directed the Ministry of Interior to prepare a Sessional Paper that will anchor the changes in law before it is submitted to Cabinet for approval.
According to the President, the legal framework is intended to ensure that future administrations cannot reverse the reforms or withdraw the benefits being introduced for village elders.
The announcement marks the first time village elders have received formal national recognition through a comprehensive government support programme as Kenya seeks to modernise its grassroots administrative units.
Currently, Kenya has about 106,000 registered and recognised villages spread across approximately 9,700 sub-locations.
The village elders serve as the first point of contact between citizens and the national administration.
Village Elders Set To Receive Monthly Allowance, Health Cover After Ruto’s Directive
