Police officers who suffered injuries while responding to demonstrations, public protests and riots are set to have their claims examined as the government widens its compensation programme for victims of human rights violations.
A taskforce established to coordinate compensation for victims of demonstrations and public protests has started checking records submitted on behalf of police officers who claim to have suffered violations during such incidents.
The verification exercise will run from September 8 to October 29 and will cover officers whose cases are linked specifically to demonstrations, public protests and riots that occurred between January 1, 2013 and June 2, 2025.
Police headquarters communicated the exercise to commanders in a memo dated September 7, directing them to facilitate the verification of the affected officers and their supporting documents.
“Following the establishment of the Taskforce for Coordination on the Framework for Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Public Protests... the taskforce will be visiting various counties to verify documentation of officers whose details had been submitted for having been victims of human rights violations exclusively as a result of demonstrations, public protests and riots between January 1, 2013 to June 2, 2025,” the memo said.
The exact number of police officers whose details have been submitted remains unknown. However, a number of officers reported injuries while responding to demonstrations and other incidents of unrest during the period covered by the compensation programme.
The police claims are being considered as the government begins the first phase of payments to victims of human rights violations associated with demonstrations and public protests between 2013 and 2025.
The first phase will see 348 verified victims receive a combined Sh448.7 million after their claims went through the required procedures.
Prof Makau Mutua, chairperson of the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Human Rights Violations, said the programme had reached the stage where eligible victims who had completed the process and agreed to the compensation could receive their payments.
Mutua said consent from the victims was required before funds could be released, making it the last step in the compensation process.
“The Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Human Rights Violations, including those arising from demonstrations and public protests for the period 2013 to 2025, has officially commenced the reparation process by providing compensation to eligible and verified victims,” he said.
“This is the first phase of the compensation programme and will be implemented on a continuous basis until every eligible victim has been compensated.”
The compensation package provides Sh3 million each to families of 115 victims who died, bringing their combined allocation to Sh345 million.
Twenty-four victims who suffered severe injuries will each receive Sh1 million, while 137 others classified as having moderate injuries will get Sh500,000 each.
The panel has also set aside Sh3 million for 60 victims with minor injuries. Eight victims of aggravated sexual offences will share Sh8 million, while four victims listed under economic loss will receive Sh200,000.
Taken together, the payments in the first phase amount to Sh448.7 million.
Mutua said the beginning of payments marked an important point for victims who had waited for compensation after coming forward with their cases.
“To the victims, the long wait is over. Today, we begin to make right what was wrong.Your courage in coming forward has made this day possible. We honour your resilience and your dignity,” Mutua said.
The programme is based on a verification process guided by the Reparations Guidelines prepared by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
The panel said every claim approved for payment had passed through registration, verification, authentication, categorisation of harm, approval and disbursement before the compensation was cleared.
It also said the identities of compensated victims will be published periodically in the Kenya Gazette in line with the Data Protection Act, 2019.
Victims who have not yet submitted their claims or provided their banking and payment information have been asked to do so promptly to allow them to be considered in future phases of the compensation programme.
For the police officers already listed, the county verification exercise will now determine whether their documentation supports their claims of human rights violations arising specifically from demonstrations, public protests and riots during the period under review.