The opposition has pushed back against President William Ruto’s newly announced framework for compensating victims of protests, questioning both its legality and its credibility.

Speaking in Nairobi on Saturday, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP–K) boss Eugene Wamalwa dismissed the process as fundamentally flawed, citing a conflict of interest.

They argued that the Executive which they hold responsible for past protest-related killings and injuries cannot be trusted to preside over redress for its own alleged victims.

“Through the shoot-to-kill and shoot-in-the-leg orders, can they be the ones responsible for redress and compensation? A wolf cannot decide the matters of the cow. Kalonzo said, referring to state crackdowns during Azimio demonstrations in 2023, the Gen Z protests in 2024, and this year’s Saba Saba rallies.

Wamalwa echoed the sentiment, stressing that natural justice demands independence from political influence. He warned that victims would not have confidence in a process led by a presidential appointee, such as Prof. Makau Mutua, who was tapped by President Ruto to spearhead the plan.

The leaders are demanding the immediate suspension of Prof. Mutua’s role pending a court ruling on his advisory appointment, and the full transfer of the exercise to KNCHR as mandated under Article 59(1)(E) of the Constitution.

They also want a clear, inclusive roadmap developed to determine eligible beneficiaries and compensation amounts which they say should be punitive enough to serve as accountability for perpetrators.

“We will ensure these Kenyans are compensated. But this cannot be done without a budgetary allocation, and certainly not at a token amount like KSh100,000,” Kalonzo asserted.

The duo further called for the public release of the legal framework underpinning the plan, warning that it could merely be a political gimmick to pacify discontent. “The dangling of goodies has just started,” Wamalwa remarked, questioning the sincerity of the initiative.

Despite the opposition’s hardline stance, President Ruto’s push for compensation received an unexpected political lift from ODM leader Raila Odinga, who has hinted at the possibility of supporting the president in his 2027 re-election bid.