Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has defended her decision to join President William Ruto’s Panel of Experts on the Compensation of Victims of Protests and Riots, saying she has not betrayed Kenyans.
The panel, sworn in on Thursday, will be chaired by Presidential Constitutional Advisor Professor Makau Mutua, with Odhiambo serving as vice-chairperson. The 15-member team is tasked with developing a framework to ensure victims of past and future protests receive compensation and justice.
“I Have Not Betrayed Kenyans”
In an emotionally charged speech at the swearing-in ceremony, Odhiambo rejected claims that her acceptance of the role was a sellout.
“As I take up this responsibility, let it be known that I have in no way betrayed your trust,” she said. “Access to criminal justice remains critical in our quest to promote and protect the rule of law as an essential element in the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms.”
Odhiambo said she understood the anger of many Kenyans but maintained that her duty was to safeguard justice and ensure victims of protests receive a fair hearing.
Justice for Protest Victims
The LSK President vowed not to let Kenyans down, stressing that deaths and injuries suffered during demonstrations “must never be in vain.” She promised to remain accountable to the public and to give regular updates on the panel’s progress.
“I have chosen a bold but unpopular step,” she admitted. “Some of my colleagues in the legal profession may not like this move, and thousands of Kenyans have voiced their reservations. However, my focus will remain on the victims.”
Odhiambo recalled meeting families of victims, such as Joseph Oloo Abanja and Lensa Achieng, who lost their infant daughter during a midnight police raid in Nyalenda, Kisumu. She criticised the judiciary for dragging its feet on protest-related cases, saying police officers implicated in killings often go unpunished.
She also cited recent testimony by Corporal Fredrick Okapesi, who admitted in court to altering firearm records for officers deployed during the June 18, 2024 “Gen Z” protests in Nairobi—evidence, she said, of systemic failures in accountability.
Call for Reforms and Victim-Led Process
According to Odhiambo, Kenya’s current legal and institutional frameworks are “ill-equipped” to deal with historic crises. Victims, she argued, are often subjected to prosecution-led processes that are slow, unreliable, and insensitive.
“The Panel of Experts that I join today bears both the duty and opportunity to spearhead a revolutionary shift in victim reparations,” she said. “Never again shall Kenyans be killed by trigger-happy officers for exercising their constitutional rights.”
Odhiambo said the panel’s unprecedented structure and mandate would allow for a victim-led, accountability-centered approach to reparations—the only way to achieve justice, reforms, and prevent recurrence of such tragedies.
“This Process Belongs to the People”
Having herself been arrested while defending protesters’ rights, Odhiambo stressed that her service would be to Kenyans, not politicians.
“There is no Kenya that belongs exclusively to politicians and their children. We only have one nation—the Republic of Kenya. This process belongs to the victims and the ordinary mwananchi.”
Quick facts:
- Panel of Experts on Compensation of Protest Victims sworn in Thursday.
- Chaired by Prof. Makau Mutua, with LSK President Faith Odhiambo as vice-chair.
- Tasked with developing a framework for reparations and justice.