President William Ruto has received and welcomed a report outlining the framework on compensation to Kenyans who suffered human rights violations during violent protests between 2017 and 2025.
The President said the report, prepared by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), is the beginning of a journey towards the recognition of injustice done to the victims.
“A nation does not heal by choosing whose pain matters,” he said when he received the report at State House, Nairobi, on Monday.
He added: “It heals by acknowledging all suffering, pursuing justice for all and committing itself to doing better.”
An 18-member Panel of Experts appointed by President Ruto, led by Prof Makau Mutua, played an advisory role in the preparation of the report.
Outlining the recommendations of the report, KNCHR Chairperson Claris Ogangah said the commission had received 1,937 claims from the public and other independent organisations covering the period between 2017 and 2025, out of which it had verified 1,101 cases.
The violations considered in the report include extra-judicial killings, torture, abductions and enforced disappearances, illegal evictions, sexual and gender-based violence, loss of property and livelihoods.
“For far too long, whenever Kenyans have exercised their democratic rights to assemble, picket, demonstrate and petition, too often the outcome has been violence, injury and loss of life, destruction of property, bitterness and division,” the President said.
He announced that the Government has set aside KSh2 billion to compensate victims, but added that this can never be the price of the pain quietly borne by thousands of families across the country for loss of loved ones and businesses.
“The KSh2 billion we have committed cannot replace a son or a daughter. It cannot restore years lost to trauma. It cannot fully compensate a family, a trader, or a community for all that has been taken from them,” he said.
He added that the allocation is not a reward for violence, looting, criminality, and unlawful conduct often witnessed during public protests.
Present were Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Chief Justice Martha Koome, Parliamentary Speakers Moses Wetang’ula (National Assembly) and Amason Kingi (Senate) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader, Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga.
Others were Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, Council of Governors Chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, among others.
The report is a product of the National Dialogue Committee, a bipartisan committee formed by President Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in 2023 to resolve political unrest at the time.
It is also part of the 10-point agenda underpinning the working agreement between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and ODM.
President Ruto said the report is necessary to confront the culture of violence that has scarred the nation over the years, without any acknowledgement from the State.
“If you act, you are criticised. If you do not act, you are criticised. But there comes a time when the nation must choose action over hesitation,” he said.
To complete the reparations and compensation journey, the President explained that firstly, Kenya requires a comprehensive legal framework that fully operationalises and protects the rights guaranteed under Article 37 of the Constitution, which deals with the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket, and petition peacefully.
Secondly, he called for reforms and a training manual that will reshape how the police service manages public demonstrations while ensuring professionalism, restraint, and accountability, and respect for constitutional rights.
“Together, these reforms will strengthen the health of our democracy,” he said.
President Ruto added that the move to pay the reparations is part of a broader national effort to correct wrongs and injustices meted on fellow Kenyans over years, including unfairness in the issuance of national identity cards to citizens in Northern Kenya.
Also at the event were Deputy Inspectors-General of Police Eliud Lagat (Kenya Police), Gilbert Masengeli (Administration Police), Director-General of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin, Principal Secretaries, and MPs, among others.
