Rights groups warn Ruto's victim payout plan shields police killers

Professor Makau Mutua takes the Oath of Office as the Chairman of the Panel of  Experts on Compensation of victims of protests and Riots on September 4, 2025.[Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Rights groups and opposition leaders have accused President William Ruto’s administration of using a new compensation framework for victims of police brutality as a cover-up for impunity, warning that it shields perpetrators and ignores enforced disappearances linked to last year’s Gen Z protests.

The framework, launched on August 8 and chaired by law scholar Makau Mutua within the Executive Office of the President, seeks to compensate families affected by police violence.