Gladys Wanga defends LSK boss Faith Odhiambo for joining Ruto’s task force
By Luke Oluoch, September 5, 2025Homa Bay governor Gladys Wanga has defended Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo’s acceptance of sitting on President William Ruto’s sanctioned Panel of Experts on the Compensation of Victims of Protests and Riots
Odhiambo was named among the 15-member team tasked with fast-tracking the compensation of victims of public protests since 2017.
The panel was officially sworn in on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), paving the way for the start of the quest for justice for the victims of state brutality and other injustices.
Taking to her X page on Friday, September 5, 2025, Wanga asserted that Odhiambo was justified in accepting to be a panelist, asserting that it would be unthinkable for the Law Society president to pass up the opportunity.
Right decision
“@FaithOdhiambo8 you made the right decision. LSK is the voice of the voiceless, and if a unique opportunity arises to get reparation and justice for victims it would be remiss to pass it,” she stated.
Wanga has further challenged the panel to ensure fidelity to their mandate and expedite the process of redressing injustices suffered by the victims.
“The panel must move with speed to ensure the hundreds of families who have gone through immense suffering do not wait any longer, and the perpetrators are brought to book but fundamentally that we recreate the architecture of state handling of protests to ensure no lives are lost as Kenyans exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly,” she added.
Her comments came a day after Odhiambo pledged to oversee accountability as she takes up the role.
In a statement on her X page on Thursday, September 4, 2025, Faith firmly stated she would be pursuing a transformative agenda that would change how Kenyan citizens are treated by the government.
“Holistic justice requires that as we seek accountability from perpetrators, we remain alive to the needs of victims and the difficulty of their lived realities,” Faith said.
“We have an opportunity to revolutionise how the state treats, deals with, and responds to victims. With unwavering fidelity to the rule of law, I undertake to guard this opportunity fearlessly and ensure no interests other than those of our most vulnerable are served,” Faith said.
Odhiambo’s swearing elicited a wide range of opinions, with many terming it a betrayal from a person who was so involved in fighting for the justice of the voiceless victims of state repression.