Blood money: 1,224 victims apply for Sh2 billion compensation
KNCHR Chaiperson Claris Ogangah with Javas Bigambo, the vice chair of the Committee to Oversee the Implementation of the Ten-Point Agenda and National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) report, at the KNHRC offices in Nairobi on March 16, 2026.
At least 1,224 victims of police brutality have applied for the Sh2 billion compensation, records by Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) show.
The commission says applicants include families of victims of extrajudicial killings, torture, abductions and enforced disappearances.
Others are victims of evictions, sexual and gender-based violence as well as loss of property and livelihoods.
President William Ruto last month announced his administration’s commitment to have the victims of anti-government protests compensated by June. A total of Sh2 billion has since been made available through the supplementary budget to facilitate the process.
Compensation of victims of protests was one of the 10-point agenda signed by President Ruto and the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga on March 7, 2025 in the political truce that birthed the broad-based government.
In a statement, KNCHR chairperson Claris Ogangah said the commission has since developed a roadmap and prepared a working document guiding consultations with various stakeholders, including victims and survivors as well as relevant government agencies and civil society organisations.
She explained that upon input from the shareholders, a draft reparations framework will be generated before being subjected to public participation in line with the Constitution.
The commission has been compiling a list of the victims which after verification will be submitted to President Ruto.
“So far, the commission has compiled a list of 1,224 victims of human rights violations which is undergoing verification in line with the eligibility criteria. The list encompasses various categories of gross human rights violations key among them extrajudicial killings, torture, abductions and enforced disappearances, evictions, sexual and gender-based violence, loss of property and loss of livelihoods,” said Ms Ogandah.
The commission, however, raised concerns over budgetary constraints, blaming the National Treasury for not releasing funds allocated by Parliament.
“The KNCHR has not be able to undertake countrywide outreach as was envisaged and expected by the public due to lack of budgetary allocation.
“The commission continues to urge the National Treasury to release the funds allocated by Parliament to the commission without further delay, so that KNCHR can fully discharge this critical constitutional and human rights mandate effectively and efficiently,” she said.
The victims are required to report to the agency’s offices in Nairobi, Kitale, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nyahururu, Wajir, Kajiado, Isiolo and Garissa.
They are required to submit supporting documents like P3 forms, medical reports, OB reports, postmortem among others.
According to the commission, should the Sh2 billion set aside fail to cover all the victims, the government will have to allocated additional fund in the next financial year.
On the families that are yet to trace their relative who are victims of anti-government protests, the commission said that it will reach out to them.
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