Gachagua calls on Ruto to apologise to Kenyans before compensating victims of police brutality
By Arnold Ngure, August 27, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on President William Ruto to apologise to Kenyans before proceeding to compensate families of victims of extra-judicial killings and police brutality.
Speaking during an interview at his Karen home on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Gachagua also castigated the government for attempting to coordinate the compensation of victims, stating that the exercise should be done by an independent body.
“Before you compensate victims, you must first accept that there were extra-judicial killings. The president must call a press conference, accept that there were extrajudicial killings and abductions, and apologise to the people of Kenya,” Gachagua remarked.
Killer squad
“He should equally order the disbandment of a killer squad of 101 police officers who have been abducting young children and killing Kenyans, and give an undertaking to the people that the abductions and extrajudicial killings have come to an end,” he added.
He further called on Ruto to order the prosecution of all officers involved in the killings and disappearances.
“Ruto should also order the prosecution of all officers involved in the abduction and extrajudicial killings and finally the compensation of families,” Gachagua said.
“However, the government cannot compensate the people it has killed; we must give it to another neutral body like the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC). We have a petition before the ICC, and if the government identifies these victims, then there will be no witness protection, and these victims will not be able to give evidence against Ruto,” he noted.
“This is a scheme to get to know the possible and potential witnesses for cases of crimes against humanity that we are taking to the Hague.”
Compensation panel
This comes after Ruto appointed a 15-member team to fast-track the compensation of victims of police brutality.
“The panel will ensure that every victim receives timely and fair compensation, while also addressing accountability where necessary,” Ruto said in the Gazette Notice.
The panel will design and implement an operational framework to verify, categorise, and support eligible victims.
It will engage with families, civil society organisations, faith-based institutions, and relevant State agencies to ensure transparency, fairness, and inclusivity throughout the process.