A validation exercise on the Village Elders Administration policy that seeks to reward the role of elders will be conducted in 10 counties tomorrow.
The Interior Ministry will carry out a public participation exercise that will collect views from citizens in Nairobi, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kakamega, Nyeri, Meru, Garissa, Machakos and Mombasa.
The policy aims at formalising the role of village elders within the national governance structure. Apart from supporting community security initiatives, village elders mediate minor disputes, help in identifying vulnerable persons in need of assistance as well as tracing and verifying residency within communities.
Despite these crucial roles, the elders are not compensated or paid for the sacrifices since they are currently not formally gazetted or recognised under Kenyan law.
It is against this backdrop the Interior Ministry is keen on having the elders recognised for the work they do.
“Historically, Village Elders have been pivotal in grassroots governance, yet their contributions have largely been informal and voluntary. The policy seeks to recognise their efforts officially and integrate them into the National Government Administrative Structure,” said the ministry.
In the proposed governance structure, the elders will acquire the title of Village Administrative Elders who will administer the village administrative units, and act as the liaison between community and agencies of national government under the supervision of Assistant Chiefs.
The village elder system has been in existence pre-colonial period among various communities but their roles remain the same. By virtue of being closer to the people, village elders provide a platform for communities to address issues besides participating in decision-making, promote access to basic services, champion for development, and empower communities to manage their own affairs.
They also foster a sense of ownership and responsibility, promote effective conflict resolution and social cohesion, and promote cultural recognisation, preservation of indigenous knowledge, practices and heritage.
In is this in mind that the Interior ministry will be reaching out to wananchi at the grassroots to express their views on the policy that will pave way for mapping, gazettement, database creation and operationalisation of Village Administrative Units as the lowest service delivery units.
“The formal engagement of the Village Administrative Elders is long overdue. This policy seeks to bring on board the local administrators to the limelight and recognise their services by providing a framework for engagement, prescribe the qualities of a Village Administrative Elder, specify the conditions of service and reward,” explained Internal Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.
According to Dr Omollo, the move will improve quality of services and smooth and uninterrupted flow of service delivery at the grassroots level.
Formulation of the policy was done through a consultative and participatory process that commenced in 2017 with the engagement of key actors among them ministry of Interior, parliament, Office of the Head of Public Service, Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Public Service Commission and National Treasury.
Eligibility for consideration will include being recognised through public participation, aged 45 years and above, knowledgeable about the village unit, and able to meet Chapter Six of the Constitution.
