The news cycle moves fast, and sometimes prematurely sweeps away important issues even before the public can properly digest them.
On Monday, June 15, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights presented the framework for compensation of victims of human rights violations, prepared by a panel of experts, to President William Ruto. It recommends compensation for some 1,101 victims of violations, and stipulates the amount to be paid out for each of the six identified violations.
The panel, appointed through Gazette Notice on August 25, 2025, was tasked with overseeing compensation for victims of demonstrations and public protests in the 2017-2022 election cycle, and the 2023-2025 Saba Saba and Gen Z protests.
This story was reported for two days, then quickly fizzled out of the news agenda.
At the launch of the framework, the president opened his speech with a powerful reminder: “The right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition under Article 37 is not a favour from the State, it is a constitutional guarantee, it is one of the freedoms that defines us as a democratic nation.” He stressed that compensation “is not the price of life, of pain or of loss… It represents the State’s acknowledgement that harm occurred, that victims matter.”
He added: “A nation heals by tending to its wounds rather than pretending they don’t exist. Compensation does not replace accountability. It is a redress for harm suffered by citizens. An affirmation that the rule of law applies equally to everyone.”
Shoot the protesters in the leg
He spoke of reforms, promising a training manual to reshape the police service and its handling of public demonstrations. He even admitted the political risks of this path, remarking: “One good friend of mine told me that if you go on this journey, you could easily be taken to the Hague… but so be it, we must confront this occasion.”
The Nation reported President Ruto saying the payments were a commitment born of a shared conviction that Kenya could not continue to travel the same painful road. It added: “While observing that there have been instances where the response to public demonstrations has resulted in excessive use of force, violations of rights and loss of life, President Ruto said whenever the cycle unfolds, Kenya loses, and our democracy is diminished.”
Despite these words, the report has left glaring gaps. Section D of the panel’s terms of reference requires investigations, reporting and recommendations for prosecutions to the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and oversight bodies. The commission also reiterates that reparations do not replace accountability, stressing that prosecutions must accompany compensation. Yet, the president’s speech on Monday made no mention of prosecutions or criminal liability.
This planned compensation and attempt at healing the nation comes a year after the president himself stated that police should not shoot to kill, but should shoot the protesters in the leg. At the time, the Cabinet secretary for Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki affirmed police agents’ action of shooting protesters.
Juxtaposing these contradictory utterances from the government, with no mention of prosecution of identifiable offenders, raises the question: Is this a turning point for the nation or putting a price tag on the violation of human rights?
Respecting and upholding the Constitution
This story called for a stronger editorial voice to demand full justice for the victims. The media ought to ask the hard questions: Who killed the 245 Kenyans? Who maimed, gang-raped, tortured and injured Kenyans? Who looted and destroyed property? Who enforced the disappearance of Kenyans? Will they, and their masters, be brought to book, or does the matter end with the payout?
Likewise, the media should challenge the country’s leadership to walk the talk on matters of democracy. Even as the president refers to Kenyans’ constitutional right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition under Article 37, his administration has violated this provision with impunity.
Almost every protest results in death, injuries and arrests. Any form of protest has been criminalised, and opposition gatherings are violently dispersed. Only recently, three people died in Nanyuki when police opened fire on residents protesting against the establishment of a quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the deadly Ebola virus.
Do the president’s words signal a change in the government’s perception of and approach to public demonstrations? If so, has this change of heart trickled down to all levels of government, including the sponsors of goons and the trigger-happy police officers?
What Kenyans want is to see President Ruto’s administration obeying, respecting and upholding the Constitution in accordance with the Oath of Service. They need a firm assurance that, going forward, Kenyans’ right to peaceful protests will not be violated. This is especially urgent ahead of the commemoration of the second anniversary of the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests next week. The media must keep this story alive and hold the government accountable.
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