President William Ruto has directed Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to allocate funds to pay Social Health Authority (SHA) medical covers for all village elders.
Speaking on Tuesday, August 4, during an engagement with village elders at State House, Nairobi, Ruto directed Mbadi to allocate the funds during the supplementary budget in November.
The Head of State noted that the village elders and their families should be under the SHA medical scheme by January 1, 2027.
"Mr. Mbadi, go and look for funds in the supplementary budget that we will prepare in November so that we pay SHA covers for all the village elders.
“Every village elder and their family should be enrolled under the Social Health Authority (SHA). By January 1, 2027, all of them must be covered by the SHA programme,” President Ruto said.
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He also directed CS Mbadi to allocate additional funds to purchase smartphones for all village elders.
President Ruto mentioned that the phone will help the village elders to communicate effectively with National Government Administration Officers.
"Also increase the budget slightly so that we can buy every village elder a proper smartphone,” Ruto stated.
Further, he directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to prepare a sessional paper on the village elders and table it in the Cabinet.
“I am asking CS Murkomen to prepare a sessional paper, take it to Cabinet, then forward it to Parliament so that it can be enacted into law," the President directed.
Additionally, President Ruto announced that the village elders will receive a monthly stipend of Ksh3,000.
"From now on, every village elder will receive a monthly stipend of Ksh3,000,” Ruto announced.
This comes months after CS Mbadi allocated Ksh3.9 billion in the 2026/2027 budget to fund the stipends for village elders.
“I have also proposed Ksh3.9 billion for stipends to village elders to enhance local administrative capacities and to appreciate and recognize the role played by village elders in helping address security and other societal challenges,” Mbadi said on June 11.
The programme is set to benefit about 110,000 village elders across the country.
