The government's decision to set aside Sh2 billion to compensate victims of protest-related violence is a welcome acknowledgment of the suffering endured by many Kenyan families.
Yet, as President William Ruto rightly observed, no amount of money can ever place a value on a human life. Compensation may ease financial hardship, but it can never erase grief or restore a life lost or a permanent disability.
Recent reports indicate that more than 1,000 victims—including families of those killed, the injured and survivors of other abuses—are expected to benefit from the reparations programme.
The greater challenge is preventing such tragedies altogether. Had demonstrations remained peaceful and security agencies exercised restraint and respected the law, many deaths and injuries could have been avoided.
The billions now earmarked for compensation could instead have built classrooms, equipped hospitals, improved roads or expanded water and sanitation projects.
The constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly. That right, however, comes with a responsibility to protest peacefully, while the police have an equally binding duty to protect life and use force only when strictly necessary. Violence by demonstrators and excessive force by law enforcement are both unacceptable.
Kenya must embrace dialogue over confrontation. Every life saved spares families immeasurable pain and preserves scarce public resources for the nation's development instead of paying for preventable tragedies.
Quote of the Day: “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” —American political activist, author and lecturer Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880
