Kenya’s police brutality victims trapped in endless cycle of political promises and no justice

The suffering of victims of police brutality in Kenya has become a recurring theme in political rhetoric—frequently invoked by the ruling elite, yet rarely followed by justice, compensation, or meaningful action.

When former Prime Minister Raila Odinga spoke on Sunday during the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay, calling on President William Ruto’s administration to compensate victims of police brutality from the 2024 anti-government protests, he echoed a familiar refrain—one often heard in political circles but rarely matched by action.

Victims of police brutality have never received compensation or even justice in countless instances.

Odinga’s call has been viewed with scepticism after he went ahead to acknowledge Ruto's apology to the youth last week, which many felt was half-hearted.

"It is wonderful as a first step to reconciliation. But then there are people who were injured, and others died. I want to say that we should do compensation to families of those who died and those injured so that we can have closure to this chapter of our national history," Raila noted.

No clear compensation plan

Although compensation was one of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party’s conditions in its agreement with Ruto’s government, there is no clear plan or roadmap yet for how the compensation will be delivered or how the victims will be identified.

ODM has maintained that victims of police brutality during anti-government protests beginning last year must be compensated before the national dialogue can be commenced.

In 2024, following resolutions reached during the joint meeting of the Parliamentary Group and the National Executive Committee (NEC), ODM said compensation is one of the conditions to be met before the dialogue to create a conducive environment for talks.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said the arrest of officers implicated in these incidents is another condition that has to be met.

Crackdown on civil liberties

According to Amnesty International Kenya in its 2024/25 State of the World’s Human Rights Report, documenting human rights violations and a marked shift toward authoritarian practices in the country, there are repeated attempts to infringe upon freedoms and human rights provided for in the Constitution of Kenya.

“The report outlines a sustained crackdown on civil liberties, including the use of excessive and unnecessary force by the National Police Service during the 2024 nationwide protests. At least 65 individuals were killed, 89 forcibly disappeared, and thousands arbitrarily arrested,” notes the report.

Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irũngũ Houghton noted that the government’s response extended beyond physical spaces to the targeting of online dissent through enforced disappearances, arrests, account suspensions, threats and physical violence.

Calls to compensate victims of police brutality have been politicians’ favourite punchline.

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Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa and Rigathi Gachagua have asked Ruto’s administration to consider compensating Kenyan victims of Kenyans who were affected by the 2024 protests against the government.

The opposition leaders also asked Ruto to clarify the mistakes he made that led to his apology to Kenyan youth.

DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa said: “Hatuwezi kuwa na msamaha bila kujua kijana wa kwanza Rex (Masai) kutoka Machakos aliuwawa na nani...”

Musyoka wondered why the state is yet to fully compensate police brutality victims.

Public confidence eroded

According to Irene Ndung’u, a consultant researcher of the Peace Missions Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, public confidence in Kenya’s police force has been eroded due to accusations of impunity, excessive use of force and brutality, disregard for human rights, abuse of due process and malignant corruption.

She explains that public outcry for transformation in the police sector, in particular, has been driven by the ills in the police force, whose nefarious reputation has eroded public trust.

“Those feelings continue to persist but the on-going reforms have brought some hope that the ‘force’ will transform into a ‘service’ that is accountable, professional, transparent and possessing a human rights sensitive approach; as well as the operational capacity to deliver on its obligations to the Kenyan public,” said Ndung’u.

In July 2024, the Senate passed a motion that was to help initiate a national conversation and foster an amiable environment following protests witnessed across the country over the last five weeks.

Apologise for deaths

In its resolutions, the Senate called on the National Police Service (NPS) to acknowledge and apologise for all deaths during peaceful demonstrations and demanded that the Kenyan government compensate all victims of police brutality linked to protests between 2023 and 2024.

Senators argued that the steps were essential in restoring trust between the public and law enforcement.

The lawmakers called on the NPS to extend amnesty to all peaceful protesters unlawfully detained during these demonstrations, urging the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw all cases in court involving peaceful protesters against the Finance Bill.

To ensure accountability, the Senate called upon the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate and recommend appropriate action against police officers found culpable of using excessive force against peaceful protesters.

The Senate also tasked a committee with ensuring compensation for all persons whose property was damaged or lost due to the demonstrations and fast-tracking insurance compensation to police officers who lost their lives or suffered injuries as a result of the protests.