Ksh.448M already paid to protest victims; Makau Mutua says calling on others to submit claims

Professor Makau Mutua, the chairperson of the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Public Protests, said 500 more victims are expected to receive compensation in the coming week.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s Sunday Live, Mutua said that a number of victims who have received the compensation have expressed a measure of relief.

Mutua, who is also a Presidential advisor, explained that the compensation framework was reached after experts, including lawyers, economists, doctors, among others, assessed multiple factors.

“What we have done is apply a range of criteria by looking, first of all, at practices in other countries where compensation has been given. We, for example, looked at Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Bangladesh, and so on,” said Mutua.

The panel’s chairperson also responded to concerns that some protest victims have yet to be notified of their compensation, nor have they received it.

He urged the victims to take a first step in lodging their claims at designated centres.

"You see, the victims have to self-identify, and they have to go to places that have been designated. They can contact us through the various phone numbers and email addresses that have been provided,” said Mutua.

“We have an office at the KICC, where they can come and lodge a claim. A lot of the victims have already lodged claims with KNCHR and IPOA,” he added.

The government has set aside Ksh. 2 billion for the compensation of victims who suffered injustices during protests experienced in Kenya from 2013 to 2025. The demonstrations include those as a result of post-election skirmishes, anti-tax protests witnessed in 2024 and subsequent demonstrations in 2025.

Victims, including those injured, sexually assaulted, killed and those who suffered economic losses, are set for the state compensation.