Malala proposes restructuring protest compensation committee to include civil societies
By Cy Muganda, August 11, 2025Democracy for the Citizens’ Party Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala has called for a revamp of the committee handling compensation for victims of protests to incorporate civil society organisations to ensure transparency and inclusivity.
In a video posted on his Facebook account on Monday, August 11, 2025, Malala criticised the current composition of the compensation committee, arguing that it is inappropriate for members implicated in the protests’ violations to be part of the panel.
“We have given conditions. You cannot say you are forming a compensation committee and then in that committee, it’s you and the police officers who killed those people who are the committee members,” Malala stated.
Civil Society representation
The opposition leader outlined specific organisations that should be represented on the compensation committee to enhance its credibility and independence.
He emphasised that the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and Transparency International must have representatives on these committees to provide necessary oversight and accountability.
“We are saying if there is any committee being formed, we must put KNCHR people to sit on that committee,” he emphasised.
“We must put Transparency International, we must have representatives of those who died be on that committee,” he added, insisting that families or representatives of victims must also have a voice in the compensation mechanism.
Silencing victims
Malala’s remarks come in light of his criticism of the compensation committee, where he accused President William Ruto of intending to use the recently announced financial compensation for protest victims as a means to silence the recipients from providing testimony to international investigators.
Speaking during the same event, Malala questioned the timing and motivations behind the government’s compensation announcements, suggesting they were made after reports emerged about interest from the US Senate in investigating the protest killings that have occurred in Kenya over the past year.
“Those people from the United States of America in the Senate have said they want to investigate the killings that have been happening in Kenya for the past one year. You have seen him (Ruto) already getting scared and wanting to compensate people who died,” Malala stated.
He dismissed the compensation initiative as an inadequate and politically motivated public relations strategy aimed at influencing potential witnesses.
“You must tell us how much is enough to take away the life of an innocent child. Ruto, this compensation is a circus because he has heard that the USA has begun investigations,” he reiterated.