Former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia has stated that President William Ruto needs to issue an apology to the country for the lives lost during protests before thinking of compensating the affected families.

This comes just days after the government announced a framework, to be led by Professor Makau Mutua, aimed at compensating protest victims.

Speaking during an interview aired on Friday night, August 15, 2025, Kisia noted that one cannot compensate for murder. He emphasised that before the country goes through the proposed framework, what is required is a genuine public apology.

According to him, such an apology would mean more than any compensation, especially if President Ruto sincerely addressed Kenyans and, in particular, the mothers who lost their children during protests.

Kisia argued that while the compensation mechanism is acceptable, the key element that is missing is a genuine apology.

He pointed out that extrajudicial killings are an issue of restorative justice, which is about restoring dignity and healing after loss.

 He stressed that no amount of money could pay back for the lives lost, but restoration could begin with an apology.

“I have said it before; you can’t compensate for murder, but the first thing before we go through the framework is a genuine public apology. In fact, that is more than compensation if William Ruto genuinely comes out to apologise and people say for the first time he is sounding genuine and apologises to me, Kenyans, particularly to the mothers who lost their children in the protests.” Kisia stated

Relevant stakeholders

He further explained that the People’s Restorative Justice Commission (PRJC), led by JB Muturi, is already in place, alongside institutions such as the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC). He suggested that these independent bodies should be at the forefront of leading the process.

In his view, it is not right for the same government that presided over the killings to take charge of the compensation initiative. He clarified that while he was not suggesting Makau Mutua was involved in the killings, independent institutions must work with him to develop a credible framework on how these particular victims would be compensated.

Rule of law

Kisia added that the Kenya Kwanza administration must first accept that going forward, it will fully abide by the rule of law. He maintained that had the government respected the rule of law in the first place, the country would not have found itself in the current crisis.

“These independent teams should work with and develop a clear framework, and there needs to be an acceptance from Kenya Kwanza’s side that going forward they will abide by the rule of law because if they could have done so, we would not be in this mess,” he added.

He concluded by questioning what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure the compensation process is transparent and fair enough for all affected families.

He stressed that after a genuine apology from the president, the token offered through compensation would not bring back the lost children but could be accepted as part of a process of restoration and healing.