The Kenyan Government has established a panel aimed at compensating victims of recent protests and riots.

The new initiative, led by Professor Makau Mutua, President William Ruto’s Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights, is part of a 120-day framework designed to address the human and economic costs of recent political unrest in the country.

According to Mutua, the panel’s members are expected to be announced soon and will be tasked with identifying victims and recommending a legal framework for compensation and safer protest laws.  

​The scope of the compensation is substantial, covering incidents from January 1, 2017, to July 31, 2025. The framework is intended to recognize harm to both civilians and police officers, a point Mutua has stressed as a move towards national reconciliation.

The panel’s composition is set to be broad, including representatives from the Law Society of Kenya, civil society, religious organizations, youth and women leaders.

This diverse representation is intended to build public trust in a process that will be overseen by a secretariat based in the Office of the President.  

​Despite the government’s push, the framework has been met with considerable skepticism. Critics, including human rights advocates and opposition figures like Kalonzo Musyoka, have raised concerns over the panel’s placement under the Executive Office of the President.

They argue that the Judiciary or the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) would be a more impartial body to handle the matter.

There is also a widespread sentiment among youth that the initiative is a political tactic or ‘PR’ games to appease them following the widespread anti-Finance Bill protests.

Mutua, however, maintains the framework is a crucial step in transitional justice, accusing critics of “playing cruel politics.”