River Yala killings: Compensation looms for victims of State violations
A section of River Yala in Siaya County where several bodies are reported to have been dumped by unknown individuals.
The families of victims of the River Yala killings during the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta could be closer to receiving compensation, as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has handed over a preliminary report to the government-appointed panel responsible for compensating victims of human rights violations.
Submitted on Tuesday, the report is expected to assist the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Human Rights Violations in identifying victims, verifying claims and determining compensation for affected families.
IPOA chairperson Dr Duncan Ojwang’ Oburu presented the report to the panel’s chairperson, Makau Mutua, following a request made on October 27, 2026.
The panel had requested information on victims of extrajudicial killings recorded between 2013 and 2026, including those linked to the River Yala killings.
Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Human Rights Violations' Principal Coordinator and Chairperson, Prof Makau Mutua (left), addresses a media briefing during the handover of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) preliminary report on the River Yala killings on November 10, 2026. With him is IPOA Chairperson Dr. Duncan Ojwang' Oburu.
The handover follows President William Ruto’s October 7 directive extending the government’s compensation programme to families of victims of the River Yala killings, which have remained one of the most disturbing cases of alleged extra-judicial executions in the country.
Speaking after receiving the report, Prof Mutua disclosed that the government had already compensated hundreds of victims of human rights violations, including families of people killed and individuals who sustained injuries.
“We have compensated over 700 injuries to date. Injuries range from severe to moderate to minor. We have also compensated 236 fatalities,” he said.
The panel has also settled more than 140 claims involving economic losses and compensated 16 victims of sexual violence, Mutua added.
He said the panel had in recent weeks been travelling across the country to visit families who had received compensation, offering condolences and hearing their experiences.
Among those visited was the family of Rex Masai in Nairobi. The youth was shot dead during the anti-Finance Bill 2024. The panel also travelled to Mwingi North over the weekend to meet another beneficiary and her family.
Prof Mutua said the visits were undertaken with the consent of the affected families, stressing that the panel had to safeguard the privacy and dignity of victims.
Ndanu falls along River Yala where several bodies were reported to have been dumped by unknown people.
He also sought to address concerns over the government's decision not to publicly disclose the identities of individuals and families who have received compensation.
Prof Mutua said the panel intended to publish information about beneficiaries but would remove sensitive personal details to comply with data protection laws.
“But in keeping with data protection laws, which govern us and govern this panel, we shall publish, and I hope in the near future, information redacted to protect certain identities and information about those victims,” he stated.
He said disclosing some beneficiaries' identities and personal circumstances could expose them to security risks.
The panel, he added, was committed to balancing public accountability with the need to protect victims from further harm.
“We have been and continue to be as transparent as possible in making these facts available to you, the members of the press, and to the public,” he added.
The River Yala killings came into the national and international spotlight in January 2022 after several bodies were discovered in River Yala in Siaya County.
The discoveries triggered anguish among families from different parts of the country who travelled to the area in search of missing relatives, with some bodies remaining unidentified at Yala mortuary.
A BBC investigation published on January 22, 2022, documented how families discovered that relatives who had disappeared in other parts of the country had been found dumped in the river.
Some bodies were reportedly recovered stuffed in sacks, while others had polythene bags covering their heads, raising suspicions of torture and extrajudicial executions.
The discoveries prompted human rights organisations and activists to demand investigations and accountability over the deaths.
Police, however, maintained that some of the deaths could have resulted from drowning or criminal activity, as investigations continued.
IPOA's latest submission gives the compensation panel additional information as it moves to assess claims arising from the killings and determine the families eligible for compensation.
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