Makau Mutua breaks down process of identifying and compensating protest victims
By Lutta Njomo, August 17, 2025President William Ruto’s advisor, Makau Mutua, has provided a brief guide on how the newly established framework to compensate victims of protests will operate.
In a video published on his X page on Saturday, August 16, 2025, Makau Mutua informed the nation that he had reached out to the members of the panel, who include technocrats, to hit the ground running on the compensation plan.
Victims’ data
According to Makau Mutua, the committee will liaise with various groups to gather correct data on protest victims. Among the key agencies the committee will seek to engage with is the Kenya Human Rights Commission, which recently expressed reservations over the government overseeing the compensation process.
They will also engage IPOA, the National Police Service, and Amnesty International.
“So we expect to get a lot of data from IPOA. We expect to get a lot of data from the International Commission on Human Rights and also from organisations such as Amnesty International and the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, obviously from the National Police Service, they also have their records,” Makau Mutua stated.
Verification
After getting the data, Makau Mutua explained that the committee will embark on the verification process, where the names will be published.
Those whose names will be missing will be allowed to file their claim, Mutua further explained.
“So we will get those names first, we will identify them, we will verify them and we will start compensating them almost immediately after the verification.
“We are going to, I think, publish the names that we will have, so that if people do not see their names in that list, they will be able to come forward and file a claim against us, which we shall then process,” he explained.
The framework aims to coordinate compensation and support for victims affected by demonstrations and public protests since 2017, marking a significant step in transitional justice efforts.
It will operate under the Executive Office of the President and will be implemented in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the National Treasury, and other relevant government agencies.
Makau’s team will operate under a 120-day tenure from the date of the proclamation.