Ruto Appoints Panel of Experts to Facilitate Compensation for Protest Victims

President William Ruto has appointed a Panel of Experts to spearhead the process of compensating victims of demonstrations and public protests across the country.

In an announcement published in a Gazette Notice on Tuesday, Ruto noted that the panel will seek to implement the Proclamation by establishing a comprehensive framework for identifying, verifying, and supporting affected individuals.

The 15-member panel will be chaired by his Constitutional Advisor, Professor Makau Mutua, with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo Mony serving as vice-chairperson.

Other members include Kennedy N. Ogeto, Dr Duncan Ojwang’ (who recently rejected Ruto's appointment as Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission of Human Rights (KNCHR)), Naini Lankas, Dr Francis Muraya, Juliet Chepkemei, Pius Metto, Fatuma Kinsi Abass, and Raphael Anampiu.

The technical team will be led by Richard Barno, supported by Dr Duncan A. Okelo Ndeda as Co-Technical Lead, while Jerusah Mwaathime Michael and Dr Raphael Ng’etich will serve as joint secretaries.

According to the notice, the Panel’s mandate will include designing an operational framework to verify and categorise victims, authenticating data from authoritative institutions such as IPOA, KNCHR, and the Ministry of Health, and recommending appropriate reparations. 

Where evidence allows, the panel will also be proposing prosecutions and accountability measures through the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The team will further engage with families of victims, civil society organisations, faith-based institutions, and other stakeholders to ensure that the compensation process is fair, inclusive, and transparent. The team will serve for a period of our months.

''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,'' Ruto directed. 

''The term of the Panel shall be for a period of one hundred and twenty (120) days from the date hereof, or for such other period as may be specified in the Kenya Gazette.''

According to the Head of State, funding for the Panel and the compensation scheme will be provided in line with the Public Finance Management Act and other applicable laws, using auditable payment channels. 

The Panel will also be required to ensure transparent accounting, maintain records sufficient for independent audits, and publish anonymised statistics alongside progress updates.

More to follow:...