Hours after President William Ruto appointed Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo to a Panel of Experts tasked with facilitating compensation for victims of demonstrations and public protests, pressure is mounting on her to decline the offer.
President Ruto formed a 16-member team, led by his advisor Prof. Makau Mutua, to oversee compensation for victims of protests since 2017, with Faith Odhiambo appointed as the team’s Vice Chairperson.
The appointment has sparked widespread debate, with many calling on Odhiambo to consider the implications for her integrity and public trust before assuming the role.
Faith Odhiambo Pressured to Reject Ruto’s Appointment to Compensation Panel
The Atheists in Kenya Society, in a statement on Tuesday, August 26, urged Odhiambo to turn down the appointment.
They noted that as LSK President, she has consistently, fearlessly, and impartially promoted the rule of law and human rights in Kenya.
The group claimed that if Odhiambo accepts the role, her public image could suffer.
“Building a solid reputation takes hard work, patience, and time. But it only takes one wrong move to ruin it,” the statement, signed by Atheists president Harrison Mumia, read.
“As someone who inspires millions of Kenyans, we really hope Faith turns down this appointment.”
At the same time, lawyer Miguna Miguna criticized Odhiambo’s participation in the panel, questioning her role in the process.
The vocal lawyer suggested that Odhiambo should instead focus on supporting genuine justice through accountability and an independent judicial inquiry.
“President Faith Odhiambo, why are you taking part in President William Ruto’s disgraceful attempt to insult, degrade and revictimize victims of his barbaric atrocities?” He posed.
“We are disappointed if you and the Law Society of Kenya are part of this coverup.”
Also Read: Faith Odhiambo and Irungu Houghton Land Roles in Ruto’s Latest Appointments
On his part, lawyer Levi Munyeri described the appointment as a potential public relations stunt, saying it would be “so foolish” for Odhiambo and amnesty chairperson Irungu Houghton to accept the roles, warning that they risk becoming pawns in Ruto’s political agenda.
Meanwhile, Chris Sambu alleged that the appointments are a deliberate attempt to capture vocal civil society voices, specifically Amnesty International Kenya and the Law Society of Kenya, by including Irungu and Faith Odhiambo on the panel.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who could chair and deputize a tribunal on compensation for victims of June police brutality. But Ruto picks Faith Odhiambo and Irungu Houghton, the top voices of anti-government oppression in Kenya,” am X user Soshi wrote.
Role of the Compensation Panel
The panel has been mandated to:
- Design and establish an operational framework to verify, categorise, and compensate eligible victims.
- Engage with relevant stakeholders, including families of victims, state institutions, civil society organisations, and religious institutions, to ensure inclusivity and fairness in the compensation process.
- Authenticate data on eligible victims from authoritative sources such as IPOA, KNCHR, the National Police Service, the Ministry of Health, and civil society.
- Recommend reparations, prosecutions, or other accountability measures where evidence warrants, submitting these to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and other oversight bodies.
- Propose legislative and institutional reforms to address protests and the culture of policing.
- Prepare periodic progress reports and a final report to the President.
To carry out its mandate, the panel has been granted powers to access information and records from any state organ or public office and summon any person or institution for information.
They have also been tasked with constituting working groups, co-opting technical experts and consultants, regulating their own procedures, and performing any ancillary functions necessary to fulfill their responsibilities.
Also Read:Ruto Nominee Rejects Job Offer
Faith Odhiambo Refuses to Join Ruto’s Debt Auditing Team
This comes after Faith Odhiambo rejected the appointment by President William Ruto to be a member of an independent task force that would audit the country’s public debt in July last year.
In a statement by LSK Secretary Florence Muturi, the LSK noted that the task force is unconstitutional since the mandate to conduct public audits rests with the office of the Auditor General.
LSK pointed out that the Auditor General is required by law to audit the public debt within six months after the end of each financial year.
“The Council of the Law Society of Kenya has thus resolved that neither our president nor any of our members shall take up appointments or participate in the said task force,” the statement read then.
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