Outrage Over Gen Z Protest Payout as Victims Reject Ruto’s Ksh3 Million Offer

A new dispute has emerged over the government’s proposed compensation plan for victims of the Gen Z-led protests, creating a significant political challenge for President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration. Affected families and survivors have publicly rejected the suggested Ksh3 million payout, describing it as an insufficient response to the gravity of their losses.

With the April 27 deadline for public submissions to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) fast approaching, opposition to the reparations framework is intensifying. The current government proposal suggests a Ksh3 million payment for each death and Ksh2 million for cases of enforced disappearance.

However, during a press briefing on Wednesday, victims argued that these figures fail to account for the lifelong impact of the violence witnessed during the 2024 and 2025 demonstrations.

Demands for a Revised Payout Structure

The families, represented by spokespersons such as George Obienge, who lost his child during the protests, are pushing for a significantly higher and tax-exempt compensation structure. Their proposed framework includes:

• Ksh5 million for loss of life or permanent disappearance.

• Ksh4 million for survivors of sexual violence.

• Ksh3 million for victims of enforced disappearance who were later found.

• Ksh3 million for those left with permanent disabilities.

• Ksh250,000 for victims of unlawful arrest and detention.

“We demand the establishment of a clear, minimum tax-exempt compensation of five million shillings for loss of life and disappearance,” Obienge stated.

RELATED – Protest Victims to Receive Up to KSh 4 Million in New Compensation Plan

Central to the victims’ demands is a call for President Ruto to go beyond financial redress and formally acknowledge the human rights violations that occurred during the 2024 and 2025 protests.

Families and survivors argue that without a public admission of the state’s role in the violence, any compensation framework remains incomplete. George Obienge, speaking for the families, stressed that this acknowledgment is a prerequisite for genuine national healing.

“The president must publicly acknowledge what happened in 2024 and 2025,” Obienge added.

Urgent Policing Reforms

Beyond the call for an apology, the victims are demanding systemic changes to the National Police Service. They are pushing for urgent reforms in how law enforcement manages public demonstrations, moving away from the “battlefield” tactics documented by human rights organizations like Amnesty International and the KNCHR.

Obienge outlined a vision for policing that prioritizes the safety of citizens over the suppression of dissent. He argued that the role of the police should be to facilitate peaceful assembly and that the use of lethal force should be strictly limited to situations where life is in immediate danger.

“Police should provide security to protestors and only shoot when their life is in danger or arrest the perpetrators,” he said.

Activists and families are also raising alarms over the speed of the process. There are growing concerns that the current timeline is being rushed for political reasons, potentially excluding many deserving victims who have yet to be properly documented.

Gillian Odawa, the mother of slain protester Rex Masai, joined other voices in calling for the KNCHR to extend the submission deadline by at least 90 days. They argue that a more deliberate approach is necessary to ensure the registration, verification, and validation stages are transparent and inclusive.

The government has allocated Ksh2 billion toward this compensation fund as part of the “10-Point Agenda” agreed upon between UDA and ODM. President Ruto has maintained that the goal is to complete the process by June, asserting that while money cannot replace a life, it is a necessary step toward justice.

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