Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama has called on Kenyans to give the task force appointed by President William Ruto to expedite the process of compensating victims of protests a chance.
Speaking on Spice FM on Thursday, August 28, Kanjama dismissed claims that the compensation was a malicious plot to shield the government from criminal liability for deaths, injuries, and losses incurred during past unrest. "There is something called a complementary mechanism, which means that when you follow one route, it doesn't exclude your ability to follow another.
You can get the compensation from the Executive, and if you want a review for additional compensation or criminal liability, it doesn't stop those processes," said Kanjama.
The High Court of Kenya advocate, who was himself appointed to a presidential task force investigating unorthodox religious practices following the revelation of the Shakahola cult, said the initiative may deliver faster results than normal processes. "If the President decides to establish a team of advisors as a task force to assist him in expediting the process of compensation, then that is something that should be celebrated," he said, adding, "The victims may have to wait two or three years for the normal processes to take place, and who knows whether they will even succeed." On Tuesday this week, President Ruto gazetted a 14-member panel to identify victims of protests, verify their claims, and organise their compensation.
