President William Ruto has appointed the Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo, and Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton, among members of a Panel of Experts to facilitate the compensation of victims of demonstrations and public protests.
In a notice dated August 25, 2025, the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei said that President Ruto has formally appointed his Senior Advisor of Constitutional Affairs, Professor Makua Mutua, as the chairperson of the panel. According to the notice, Prof. Makau Mutua will be deputized by Faith Odhiambo.
Other members of the panel include former Solicitor General Kennedy N. Ogeto, Irungu Houghton, Dr. John Olukuru, Pius Metto, Raphael Anampiu, Dr. Linda Musumba, Fatuma Kinsi Abass, Dr. Duncan Ojwang’, Naini Lankas, Dr. Francis Muraya, and Juliet Chepkemei.
Richard Barno was also appointed to the panel as the technical lead. The co-technical lead, on the other hand, will comprise Dr. Duncan A. Okelo Ndeda, while the panel’s joint secretaries are Jerusah Mwaathime Michael and Dr. Raphael Ng’etich.
Terms of reference of the compensation panel
(a) Design and establish an operational framework to verify. categorise, and compensate eligible victims.
(b) Engage with relevant stakeholders, including families of victims, State institutions mandated to address human rights issues, civil society organisations, and religious institutions to ensure inclusivity and fairness in the compensation process.
(c) Authenticate data on eligible Victims from authoritative sources including IPOA, KNCHR, the National Police Service, the Ministry of Health, and civil society.
(d) Where evidence so warrants, recommend reparations, prosecutions or other appropriate accountability measures to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and other relevant oversight bodies.
(e) Propose legislative and institutional reforms to address protests and culture of policing.
(f) Prepare and submit to the President Periodic progress reports and a final report.
Also Read: Ruto Orders Compensation of Gen Z Protests Victims
Ruto grants powers to the panel behind the compensation of victims of demonstrations and public protests
In the discharge of its mandate, the panel shall have the power to:
(a) Access information and records from any State organ or public office subject to law.
(b) Require the attendance of any person or institution to provide information or documents.
(c) Constitute working groups.
(d) Co-opt technical experts, consultants, and technical resource persons.
(e) Regulate its own procedure, including quorum and decision-making and perform any other function ancillary to this mandate.
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Koskei further in the notice said that the term of the panel shall be for a period of 120 days from the date hereof, or for such other period as may be specified in the Kenya Gazette.
Funding and financial accountability
The Head of Public Service has clarified that the funding for the panel and the compensation scheme shall be provided in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act and any other applicable law, utilising auditable payment channels.
“The Panel shall ensure transparent accounting, maintain records sufficient for an independent audit, and publish anonymised statistics and progress updates.” the notice adds.
A Bureau for the Secretariat of the Panel of Experts shall be located on the Ground floor of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). Its official mailing is P.O. Box 30510-0100, G.P.O. Nairobi.
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