Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma has come out to explain why the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was pushing for the compensation of protest victims.

While appearing on a local radio station for an interview on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, he said that the late Odinga wanted an alternative system that would ensure protest victims were compensated outside legal means since most court cases often end to the detriment of the victims.

Kaluma went on to state that Raila was receiving a lot of pressure from members of the public who were injured or lost their loved ones during protests.

He explained that many of them felt abandoned after the formation of the broad-based government, questioning what their sacrifices had achieved, and that the former prime minister had turned his back away from them after agreeing to work with the current regime.

It was through such lamentations that the late began thinking of how protest victims could be handled.

“And so Baba was saying, ‘Let us create a context away from legal strictures, okay, which will allow for these Kenyans to feel they have been recognised as people who lost as Kenyans when we were fighting for a good Kenya,” Kaluma stated

According to Kaluma, it is difficult for injured or bereaved victims of protests to find justice through the courts.

He noted that some cases presented to court as a result of police excesses require huge amounts of evidence, and victims must prove negligence by the police, which is often challenging.

He cited examples such as the Baby Pendo case and that of Irene Naoki, who was shot while watching television in her mother’s house.

Out-of-court approach

Kaluma added that Raila sought to establish a framework outside the strict legal system that would allow Kenyans affected by protests to be recognised and compensated for their loss, acknowledging their role in the struggle for a better country.

“People call him to date as a person who was leading in most of these demonstrations and reform actions, saying you turned your back on us after you stabilisedthe government. And you go even to say people are saying we have been dying for what?” he added.

Slamming faith odhiambo

He also accused leaders who opposed the compensation initiative of hypocrisy, calling out Faith Odhiambo for resigning from the compensation panel led by Makau Mutua.

Kaluma noted that she had previously been vocal on the streets calling for justice and compensation for protest victims, yet later withdrew from the very committee that sought to actualise it.