President William Ruto has announced that families of people whose bodies were discovered in River Yala over the years will be considered for compensation.

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Speaking during the handover of the Raila Odinga Mausoleum in Bondo on Wednesday, October 7, Ruto said the compensation would extend beyond victims of protests to include people who were subjected to enforced disappearances and killings.

According to the Head of State, the government has already set aside Ksh2 billion to compensate victims of protests between 2013 and 2025, with several families having already received payments.

Ruto said the compensation programme was part of the government’s pursuit of electoral justice, an issue he said was championed by the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

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He added that the government would continue with the process until every verified victim and their family receives justice.

"Raila pursued electoral justice with great passion. That pursuit gave birth to the compensation of victims of protests. We set aside Ksh2 billion, and hundreds of families have been compensated, and we will not stop until every verified victim receives justice," Ruto stated.

According to the President, the programme would extend to families whose relatives' bodies were recovered from the River Yala, as well as victims of extra-judicial disappearances.

"This compensation will extend to the families whose bodies we recovered in River Yala and other victims of extrajudicial disappearance," he added.

Several bodies were discovered in River Yala between 2021 and 2022, with fingers being pointed at the previous administration over its inaction on the alleged murders.

The bodies were believed to belong to Kenyans who held political views opposed to the government , with the discoveries linked to allegations of abductions, torture and extrajudicial killings.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke