The National Government Co-ordination (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Background

The National Government Co-ordination (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aims to formally recognize village-level administrators and village elders who perform essential national government duties. While the County Governments Act, 2012, recognizes decentralized village units, these units have lacked formal statutory recognition and remuneration under the National Government Co-ordination Act, 2013. This amendment seeks to bridge that gap by integrating village structures into the national government's coordination system.

Key Amendments

• Section 14 (Service Delivery Co-ordination Units): The amendment inserts village units alongside locations and sub-locations. It introduces subsections (3A) and (3B), requiring the national government to establish village councils headed by village administrators and to appoint village elders. These administrative structures must comply with Section 53 of the County Governments Act, 2012.
• Section 15 (Appointment of Officers): The Bill inserts a new paragraph (ea) to officially list a "village administrator" as a national government administrative officer for each village unit, to be appointed by the Public Service Commission.
• Section 18 (Scheme of Service): The Bill inserts a new subsection (2) stating that village elders appointed under Section 14 shall be paid such allowances as determined by the Public Service Commission.

New Obligations

• National Government: The national government is obligated to set up village councils and appoint village elders for every recognized village unit.
• Public Service Commission (PSC): The PSC is tasked with determining and authorizing the specific allowances to be paid to the appointed village elders, as well as coordinating the recruitment of village administrators.