Govt’s compensation payouts for protest victims a political coverup – activist warns
Activist Mutemi wa Kiama has criticised the government’s ongoing protest compensation initiative, claiming it is being used as a political tool to calm opposition supporters rather than address the real issues at hand.
Speaking in a TV interview on Wednesday, August 14, Mutemi said he believes the payouts are designed to give the impression that meaningful action is being taken following public outrage.
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“I firmly believe this compensation process is getting the ODM supporters to come down to show that there is a process ongoing,” Mutemi said. He argued that this approach does little to resolve underlying grievances and instead focuses on short-term political gain.
This comes after President William Ruto announced the establishment of a special framework to compensate victims of demonstrations and public protests, including civilians and security officers who lost their lives or suffered injuries since 2017, on August 8, 2025.
The presidential statement, issued through X, sought to provide accountability, redress, and reparations for those affected by violent protests and riots.
A crisis of trust in Government
Mutemi linked the matter to what he described as a broader “crisis of Kenyans trusting the government.” According to him, the practice of forming commissions, task forces, or committees in response to public outcry is an old tactic used to deflect attention and pacify citizens.
“This is a typical kneejerk reaction from the Government of Kenya, since before independence, whereby whenever there is a public outcry on atrocities committed by government, you appoint a commission, taskforce or a committee; but the work of that committee is not the stated mandate, its work is to pacify the public and to cover up whatever it is,” he said.
Mutemi emphasised that without genuine accountability and transparency, compensation efforts would be seen as hollow gestures rather than real justice for victims.
Call for a structured compensation framework
Echoing concerns about the current process, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya Elias Mutuma criticised the use of a uniform compensation figure for all victims.
“You cannot have one blanket figure for injuries and say, ‘for any injury it’s Sh100,000,’” Mutuma said. “We must then do things right. We must establish a compensation fund and determine who is in charge of victim verification and identification.”
According to him, a proper framework is essential to ensure that compensation is fair, transparent, and reflective of the specific harm suffered by each victim. Without this structure, he warned, the process risks being both unjust and open to manipulation.
