Victims of Protest Violence Demonstrate, Demand Immediate Compensation
By Peace Muthoka
Nairobi, February 11, 2025 – Thousands of Kenyan families affected by protest-related violence have come out strongly to demonstrate and demand immediate compensation, saying they are living in pain, poverty, and uncertainty after losing their loved ones. Many of the victims were breadwinners, leaving families shattered and children without school fees or daily support. Despite months of waiting, the families say they have received nothing and now feel abandoned by the very systems meant to protect them. “Tumesahaulika sasa,” they declare, insisting that their suffering has been ignored for too long.
The victims say they exercised patience and respected institutions as they waited for action. They listened to public promises and followed due process, hoping justice would prevail. However, they now argue that patience has yielded no results. “Lipa victims sasa,” they demand, stressing that compensation is not a favor but a right. According to them, court rulings do not put food on the table, legal arguments do not pay school fees, and promises do not sustain widows struggling to raise families alone. They insist that what they need is practical support now, not prolonged processes and endless assurances.
At the same time, the families strongly condemn what they describe as deliberate delays through the courts. “Toka kotini tulipwe,” they state, warning that the justice system must not become a marketplace where victims’ suffering is traded for interests unrelated to their pain. They express frustration over what they term as a growing network of “court brokers,” individuals and groups who allegedly benefit from prolonged legal battles while families continue to suffer. According to the victims, these middlemen stretch cases for personal, political, or financial gain instead of pursuing genuine justice.
The families also take issue with some civil society actors and self-appointed activists whom they accuse of slowing down compensation while claiming to speak on their behalf. They argue that such groups do not represent them and allege that some fundraise in the victims’ names even as affected families remain hungry and desperate. They describe this as betrayal and call for an end to any interference that delays direct compensation.
In their renewed push, the victims express full support for the President’s initiative to compensate those affected by protest-related violence. They describe the move as direct, humane, and practical, saying it offers a real solution to their suffering. However, they caution that the initiative must not be sabotaged, delayed, or redirected through what they term as court games or external agendas.
Their message, they insist, is clear and non-negotiable: compensate victims now, end court delays, stop broker interference, and stop using victims as tools for other interests. “We are not objects of sympathy. We are citizens demanding justice,” they state firmly. As they demonstrate and raise their voices, they maintain that Kenya cannot speak of healing and reconciliation while victims remain trapped in endless processes that benefit everyone except those who suffered most. “Tumesahaulika sasa—but we will not be silent anymore.”
