Suna East MP Junet Mohamed/JUNET MOHAMED/X
National Assembly minority leader Junet Mohamed has defended the planned compensation of victims of police brutality, saying its in line with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) agenda.
Junet said ODM since 2007 has always maintained that victims of post-election and protest related violence be compensated for their losses even as justice is pursued to bring perpetrators to book.
The MP criticised leaders, particularly those form his Orange party, who have questioned the compensation, saying ODM is on record for the last 20 years pushing for restorative justice.
“Even after the 2018 handshake, we spent considerable time demanding the state compensates the victims of the 2013 and 2017 post-poll violence. Needless to say, the government never compensated the victims,” he said.
After the 2024 formation of the Broad-based government, the Suna East MP said his party renewed calls for compensation to cover the prior years, as well as 2023 and 2024.
“This time round, the state showed willingness to compensate in the first instant, even as it pursues the perpetrators,” he said.
“Those today claiming the compensation of victims must only come after the perpetrators have been prosecuted are merely saying they do not want the victims to be compensated at all.”
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed / HANDOUT
Junet said majority of the people, particularly the ODM rebels without a cause, were at the forefront in demanding compensation — so much so they were threatening to pull the party out of the government. What changed?
“It cannot be that in our country, the endless suffering of our people continues being used as the main currency to transact national politics. Compensation has been a key grievance of our party — ODM — for many years.”
The minority leader said even when President William Ruto was a member of ODM, the party in numerous occasions unsuccessfully pursued compensation.
“The buying of land to resettle IDPs as a form of compensation that no one opposed; was justice irrelevant then? From 2007 to date, there are families who’ve suffered immensely and deserve a measure of closure on the lifelong injuries, crimes against the person, deaths and destruction they endured. Restorative justice is justice too.”
He said a true ODM leader cannot oppose compensation of the party supporters and other innocent Kenyans who suffered political violence during our long years of protests.
“We allocated in the FY2026-27 budget the sum of Sh2 billion to compensate victims and I urge families and individuals who suffered in the past protests to reach out to nearest KNHRC offices,” Junet stated.
