The government will start paying allowances to village elders who are actively involved in the fight against crimes and resolving disputes.
Already Sh1.2 billion has been set aside to pay the elders across the country, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has said.
He said the government decided to recognise the elders who have been playing a vital role in maintaining security in the expansive rural areas and arbitrating in land and family disputes.
“We have even written to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and very soon, the elders will start getting allowances to boost their morale,” said Dr Kibicho.
The PS was speaking at the Kerugoya Catholic Church grounds in Kirinyaga County.
“We shall give you a good package to enable you [to] discharge your duties without problems,” he said.
“For the first time in history, chiefs and their assistants have become Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) holders and they no longer ask residents to fuel their vehicles and motor cycles,” he said.
At the same time, Dr Kibicho urged young people to acquire national identity cards so they could vote in the 2017 elections.
He called on village elders and chiefs to mobilise those who have attained the age of 18 to get identity cards.