President Ruto constitutes expert panel to compensate protest victims
The panel will be chaired by Constitutional Advisor Professor Makau Mutua, with Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo serving as vice-chairperson.
President William Ruto has established a Panel of Experts to manage the compensation of victims affected by demonstrations, public protests, and riots nationwide.
According to a Gazette Notice published on Tuesday, the panel will operationalise a Presidential Proclamation aimed at creating a structured system to identify, verify, and support those impacted by protest-related incidents.
The panel will be chaired by Constitutional Advisor Professor Makau Mutua, with Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo Mony serving as vice-chairperson. Other members are Kennedy N. Ogeto, Houston Irungu of Amnesty International Kenya, Dr John Olukuru, Rev. Kennedy Barasa Simiyu, Dr Duncan Ojwang’, Naini Lankas, Dr Francis Muraya, Juliet Chepkemei, Pius Metto, Fatuma Kinsi Abass, and Raphael Anampiu.
The technical team includes Richard Barno as Technical Lead, assisted by Dr Duncan A. Okelo Ndeda as Co-Technical Lead. Jerusah Mwaathime Michael and Dr Raphael Ng’etich will act as joint secretaries.
The secretariat for the Panel of Experts will be located on the Ground Floor of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
The gazette outlines that the Panel’s responsibilities include designing a framework to verify and classify eligible victims, authenticating information from institutions such as IPOA, KNCHR, the National Police Service, and the Ministry of Health, and recommending suitable reparations.
The panel is also empowered to propose prosecutions and other accountability measures to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where evidence supports such action.
Engaging families of victims, civil society, religious groups, and other stakeholders to ensure fairness and transparency is a core part of its mandate.
“In the discharge of its mandate, the Panel shall have the power to access information and records from any State organ or public office subject to law, as well as require the attendance of any person or institution to provide information or documents,” the notice adds.
The panel is expected to complete its work within one hundred and twenty (120) days, though this period may be extended as necessary.
Funding for the panel and the compensation process will follow the Public Finance Management Act and other relevant laws, using auditable channels.
The Panel will maintain transparent accounts, preserve records for independent audits, and publish anonymised progress updates.
