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Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said he does not know whether the families who lost their loved ones were compensated as directed by President William Ruto.

In a candid interview just 50 days after taking his oath of office on November 1, 2024, Kindiki stated that while the President committed to compensate all protest victims, there was no budget.

K24 Journalist Joel Chacha: The families that were bereaved pleaded with the government of the day to help them with burial expenses. Did that happen and how much was spent?

DP Kindiki: To the best of my knowledge, a number of families were given a modest ex-gratia support on request and on the basis of confidentiality. In such situations, the support is not budgeted for, so we have to look for ways within the security budget.

“No law allows for expenditure on compensation to events similar to what we had,” Kindiki noted.

Wait longer

Joel Chacha: So, you are telling Kenyans that the bereaved families will have to wait longer until the law is developed? For the purpose of accountability, how much was spent to settle burial expenses?

DP Kindiki: I wouldn’t know. The government has ex-gratia support which it deals with every other day and it is difficult to pinpoint amounts used for burial because of the lack of a specific vote line.

On July 5, 2024, President Ruto committed to compensating the families of all those injured and those who lost their lives during the June-July 2024 protests against the Finance Bill 2024.

Raila calls for compensation

“Once again, I extend my deepest condolences to those who unfortunately lost their lives. One life lost is a life too many,” Ruto said “The government of Kenya will support all those affected.”

Days later on July 9, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga called on the government to compensate all the families who lost their loved ones during the protests.

“To the young, resilient generation of our nation, I agree that justice must come first before any talks,” Raila said. “Once these issues are resolved, we can focus on a National Conversation, and conducted transparently in a neutral venue.”

“All victims of police brutality must be compensated,” he said.

Kindiki deflected the blame on the deaths of protesters, noting that his role was to provide policy guidelines and not issue operational orders to police officers.