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{
    "id": 1373472,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1373472/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 294,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Baringo North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Joseph Makilap",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "honesty, availability and above all, should be above the age of 35. If the age is capped at below 35 years, he becomes a youth. Hon. Malulu Injendi also needs to know that the County Governments Act defines a village elder. Section 53(1) of the County Governments Act establishes a village council. Further, Section 53(4) proposes that a village elder shall be paid an allowance. The village elder defined by the County Governments Act and the one whom we intend to add in the national Government structure - from the assistant chief downwards - would lead to a conflict of the laws. So, there is need for synergy between the two laws. This Bill should define the village elder, as envisaged in Section 53 of the County Governments Act. He is defined in the Act, but the county governments have not fully implemented their decentralised structures. We are all aware that the national legislation supersedes the county legislation. Since the county governments have not established the decentralised units, Hon. Malulu and all of us can go ahead and have the village elders. This will help us define how many are required in a sub- location. Even for the village elders to be remunerated, there is need for that village unit to be gazetted like a sub-location. Otherwise, how do you pay them? The unit of representation has to be gazetted in the Kenya Gazette . After that is done, they will be appointed. There are many legal issues that we need to consider before we can pay the person who shall be appointed as a village elder. This is because the County Governments Act establishes the qualifications of village elders. Members who have their mobile phones can download and read the Act. It states the qualifications for one to be appointed a village elder. I support this Bill. As Members of Parliament, we are where we are today - in this privileged position - because we used these village elders to mobilise support for us. Even in the establishment of this Government, we went to the village elders because they are truthful. They require recognition. During the recess, I attended a meeting where I bumped into one village elder and he told me that Members have refused to pass a legislation for them to be paid. I informed him that the Bill was before the House but still under consideration. I hope he can now see me as I support their remuneration in a more systematic and structured manner that shall not be challenged in court. We have arbitrators in our society. The Judiciary embraces Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) today. Whom do they rely on? They rely on the village elders. They are the institutional memory of our society. They are the libraries which we rely on. These are the people who will help us implement government policies further, especially the Kenya Kwanza Government where we believe in the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). They are in the lower part of the pyramid that needs support. As we support them, we need to set the structures. There are village elders who are retirees in our villages today. We need to separate them so that we get the right persons who will not have any problem in litigation. They are the people who are available to mop up children throughout the Republic to go to school. The last KCPE class has to transit to the next level. The people who help us to do that are village elders. If a Standard Eight student fails to proceed to the next level, he or she cannot repeat class because the new curriculum is the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Those of us who come from insecurity-prone areas rely on village elders to give us truthful intelligence. They are actually more intelligent than the security forces. They are able to identify aggressors and visitors who come to a village. They are the people we rely on even in distribution of relief food. This Government is required to support and remunerate village elders. I end by asking all of us to pass this Bill into law so that we do not have a clash between county governments and the national Government. It is provided that there shall be synergy between the two levels of government. The levels are distinct, but they can cooperate. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"
}