President William Ruto has called for reforms to end recurring violence during public demonstrations, saying compensation for victims must be accompanied by accountability and institutional change.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, while receiving the Framework for Reparations for Victims of Human Rights Violations on Monday, he announced Sh2 billion for compensation and reparations, alongside proposals for legal, policing, and constitutional reforms aimed at promoting national healing and preventing future abuses.
The Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces described the moment as both historic and consequential, saying the country was taking a significant step towards addressing decades of suffering linked to protests and public unrest.
He acknowledged that many Kenyans had lost loved ones, suffered injuries, or seen their businesses destroyed during demonstrations, while others had experienced violations of their rights.
“Whenever Kenyans have exercised this right, too often the outcome has been violent injury, loss of life, destruction of property, and bitterness. There have been instances where the response to public demonstrations has resulted in excessive use of force, violations of rights, and loss of life. There have also been occasions when legitimate protests have been infiltrated by criminal elements, leading to violence, looting, destruction, and harm to both citizens and law enforcement officers,” he explained.
President William Ruto’s push for a Framework for Reparations for Victims of Human Rights Violations traces its roots to both a court directive and political agreements reached under the bipartisan talks between the Kenya Kwanza administration and the opposition.
The process gained momentum on August 25, 2025, when Gazette Notice No. 12002 of 2025 established the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Public Protests, chaired by constitutional lawyer Professor Makau Mutua.
The panel was tasked with developing recommendations on compensation, accountability, and reconciliation for victims of protest-related violations.
The initiative reflected commitments contained in the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) Report, and the subsequent 10-Point Agenda agreed between President William Ruto and the late opposition leader Raila Odinga, both of which called for compensation of victims of demonstrations and broader institutional reforms.
A major milestone came on March 6, 2026, when President Ruto issued Presidential Proclamation No. 1 of 2026 and Kenya Gazette Notice No. 3114, directing the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) to develop and submit a national reparations framework within 60 days.
The directive was issued under Article 254(2) of the Constitution and followed a High Court judgment delivered in Kerugoya, Kirinyaga County, on December 4, 2025, which affirmed KNCHR’s mandate to design the reparations framework.
The framework sought to provide compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, acknowledgment, and guarantees of non-repetition for victims of extrajudicial killings, torture, abductions, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, loss of property, and loss of livelihoods.
KNCHR Chairperson Claris Ogangah affirmed that the process was intended to create a transparent, accountable, and comprehensive reparations programme while strengthening national reconciliation and preventing future violations.
Moving ahead, the President noted that the country had for years failed to adequately confront the consequences of such incidents, allowing the same tragedies to recur.
Ruto also revealed that the government had already allocated Sh2 billion towards compensation and reparations for victims who suffered verified harm arising from protests and unrest, including affected families, injured citizens, businesses, and law enforcement officers.
However, he stressed that the payments should not be viewed as placing a monetary value on human suffering.
The Head of State further argued that compensation alone would not resolve the problem and called for a comprehensive legal framework to operationalise Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition.
He called for reforms in police training and management of demonstrations to ensure professionalism, restraint, accountability and respect for constitutional rights.
“Compensation addresses the consequences of past failure, but reform must prevent their recurrence. We must protect the right to protest. We must protect life. We must protect property, and we must protect human dignity,” he highlighted.
The president concluded that the framework marked “the beginning of the end of a painful chapter” and urged leaders and citizens alike to support efforts aimed at building a more just, peaceful and inclusive Kenya.