Prof. Makau Mutua, chair of President William Ruto’s newly constituted Panel of Experts on the Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Protests, said on Wednesday that the group’s foremost task is to “cool down the temperatures in the country” after years of violent unrest.
Speaking in a Citizen TV interview, Mr. Mutua described Kenya’s 15-year-old constitution as still “in its formative years,” with citizens grappling to exercise freedoms of speech and association without fear.
He lamented the bloodshed of recent demonstrations, saying families across the country had lost children, parents and breadwinners.
“The performance of democracy is a very difficult thing,” he said. “What we have seen over the last two years and the first part of this year is regrettable. What my panel seeks to do, first, is to cool down temperatures in the country because people have lost loved ones, children, and breadwinners.”
The 15-member panel, launched last week at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, is led by Mr. Mutua with Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo as vice-chair.
Its mandate is to fast-track compensation claims for victims of protest-related violence dating back to 2017. Mr. Mutua called the initiative “historic, unprecedented and bold.”
Rights groups, however, have urged caution. Amnesty International and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights have documented more than 180 deaths linked to political protests since 2017, including 63 during last year’s Gen Z uprisings and at least 38 in 2025.
Whether the panel can deliver swift justice remains unclear. For many Kenyans, the test will be less in its rhetoric than in whether compensation reaches victims’ families, and whether the government prevents future tragedies.
