Frontier Eye Desk
Nairobi, Kenya.
President William Ruto has appointed Claris Awuor Ogangah-Onyango, Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), as the new Vice-Chairperson of the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Public Protests, with immediate effect.
The appointment, announced through a Special Gazette Notice dated November 4, 2025, revokes the earlier designation of Faith Odhiambo Mony—the President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK)—who resigned from the role on October 6 amid public criticism and legal challenges that stalled the panel’s work.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that pursuant to Gazette Notice No. 12002 of 2025, His Excellency the President has appointed Claris Awuor Ogangah-Onyango as the Vice-Chairperson of the Panel of Experts with effect from November 4, 2025,” the notice reads. “The appointment of the Vice-Chairperson vide Gazette Notice No. 12002 of August 25, 2025, is revoked.”
The 15-member panel, chaired by Prof. Makau Mutua—Ruto’s Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights—was established in August to design a framework for identifying, verifying, and compensating victims of police brutality during public demonstrations dating back to 2017. Its members include former Solicitor-General Kennedy Ogeto, Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton, and other civil society and legal experts.
The initiative followed Ruto’s August 8, 2025 proclamation pledging reparations for victims of unrest, especially those affected during the 2023–2024 anti-government protests. Official reports attribute more than 120 deaths and hundreds of injuries to excessive use of force by police during those demonstrations.
The panel was sworn in on September 4, 2025, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre with a 120-day mandate to submit recommendations. However, a High Court order issued on September 8, in response to a petition by lawyer Levi Munyeri, suspended the panel’s operations pending determination of claims that its establishment overlapped with KNCHR’s constitutional mandate.
Odhiambo, in her resignation letter, cited frustration over the stalled process and growing discontent among victims. She maintained that her initial acceptance of the role was driven by a desire to reform Kenya’s victim compensation system, which she described as “inadequate in addressing historic crises of police overreach.”
Ogangah-Onyango, appointed KNCHR Chairperson on October 2 for a six-year term following National Assembly approval, is a seasoned human rights lawyer with extensive experience in constitutional law. During her parliamentary vetting, she expressed concern that the panel’s work could encroach on KNCHR’s oversight role in human rights violations—a dynamic that now places her at the centre of both institutional and government-led reparations efforts.
The panel has applied to have the court suspension lifted, with a ruling expected later this month. Civil society groups remain divided: some view Odhiambo’s exit as a step toward reinforcing institutional independence, while others question the panel’s viability amid legal uncertainty.