Senators urge improved terms, protection for village elders and Nyumba Kumi leaders
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei led the calls, saying that village elders and Nyumba Kumi leaders should be given the same recognition and opportunities as chiefs and their assistants.
Senators are calling on the government to expand its administrative structure by formally including village elders and Nyumba Kumi leaders in the existing scheme of service, citing their vital role in grassroots governance and security.
The senators want the government to go beyond the current arrangement, where village elders receive only a small monthly stipend, and instead develop a clear career progression plan that allows them to grow within the national administration system.
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Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei led the calls, saying that village elders and Nyumba Kumi leaders should be given the same recognition and opportunities as chiefs and their assistants.
“We must provide them with schemes of service for them to discharge their duties without fear or favour. This is because it is not enough to give them a stipend,” he said.
“They are very critical in ensuring peace prevails in the villages. They have actually become easy targets for criminals. They, therefore, must be protected at all costs,” Cherargei added.
Currently, chiefs and their assistants benefit from a new scheme of service that allows them to rise to higher positions within the national government.
Working in difficult conditions
Village elders and Nyumba Kumi leaders, however, are not part of this structure and often work under difficult conditions.
Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei supported the proposal, saying formal recognition would encourage performance.
“Having a scheme of service for them will help them in so many ways. One of the critical things is to motivate them to know that you can grow in the system. Failure to have such an arrangement will always discourage them from performing their roles,” he noted.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua emphasized the need for a structured path for career development.
“The services that the village elders and Nyumba Kumi leaders offer are so critical that there is need for a proper scheme of service, complete with clarity on career progression path, such that, someone can begin as a village elder or assistant chief, and aspire to go through the administrative ladder and one day become a regional commissioner,” he explained.
The issue was raised following a question by Taita-Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma, who asked when the scheme of service for chiefs and their assistants was last reviewed.
Explore reforms
He also urged the Senate to explore necessary reforms to address stagnation and improve officer motivation.
“We want to know the criteria used for hiring and promoting chiefs and assistant chiefs, including the entry level, job group, highest attainable job group within the ranks and the minimum and maximum duration an officer stays within a job group before promotion," Mwaruma said.
Currently, village elders are often the government’s closest representatives at the village level.
They help enforce government policies, mediate disputes, and relay information to communities. Despite their responsibilities, they work voluntarily and only receive a monthly allowance of Sh2,000, though a proposal exists to raise it to Sh7,000.
The senators also called on the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to remove academic qualification requirements for these roles.
They argued that experience, cultural understanding, and local trust should be the main considerations.
“If one wants to become a village elder, all they need is to be above 40 years old, married and have an understanding of the local culture. If they fit that criteria, then they should be given the job,” Kirinyaga Senator James Murango said.
“It is not right to ask the village elders to have academic qualifications. This is because we have brilliant fools in this country who cannot do a quarter of what our village elders are doing,” he added.
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