‘Gov’t cannot be trusted’: Kalonzo, Wamalwa want KNCHR to handle protest victims’ compensation

A day after President William Ruto announced a framework for compensation of protests victims dating back to 2017, the opposition has questioned the legal basis for such a framework.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and his DAP-Kenya counterpart Eugene Wamalwa say the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) should oversee the process, faulting Prof. Makau Mutua's role and saying the Executive cannot be trusted to compensate victims.

The opposition, which has been pushing for the compensation of families of victims of protests from the Azimio and Gen Z demonstrations, says the Executive is responsible for the killings and therefore cannot be trusted to handle the compensation process.

“Through the shoot-to-kill and shoot-in-the-leg orders, can they be the ones responsible for redress and compensation of their own victims of police brutality? A wolf cannot decide the matters of cow crow. Fisi hawezi kusimamia kesi ya mbuzi,” said Kalonzo.

Wamalwa added: “The rule of natural justice demands impartiality. Victims cannot trust a process led by a presidential appointee whose loyalty is now to the state, the same state that was the aggressor in the Azimio protests 2023, Gen Z protests 2024 and the recent Saba Saba protests.”

The opposition is demanding a process with a clear roadmap that seeks to create an inclusive committee that will collect views on how much and who are to be compensated.

“We will make sure that these Kenyans are compensated. By the way, there is no budgetary allocation. You cannot wake up and say you will compensate Kenyans Ksh.100,000. The amount they will have to pay will have to be punitive, including those who committed these atrocities,” noted Kalonzo.

Kalonzo and Eugene are also demanding the immediate suspension of Prof. Makau Mutua’s role in the compensation framework pending court determination of his advisory appointment by President William Ruto.

The two opposition leaders are calling for transfer of all redress processes to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), citing Article 59 (1) (E) of the Constitution.

The duo further demands a public disclosure of the legal basis for creating a parallel compensation structure.

“The dangling of goodies has just started. Even this Prof. Mutua team is just one of the goodies to show that at least they want to compensate the victims. They might not,” Wamalwa stated.

The leaders say they will remain united as they prepare to square it out with President Ruto.

This even as the President received a significant boost from ODM leader Raila Odinga who hinted at the likelihood of supporting him in his 2027 re-election.