Public participation begins with calls to expand compensation for police brutality victims

Talks on compensation for victims of police brutality took centre stage on Thursday as the Committee for the Implementation of the Ten-Point Agenda began its nationwide public participation sittings.

Speaking in Kisumu, participants called for the expansion of the compensation scheme to include victims affected by the 2007/2008 post-election skirmishes. The government also came under sharp criticism over alleged opulence in various empowerment programmes held across the country.

With barely a month remaining before the Committee on the Implementation of the Ten-Point Agenda winds up its mandate, a section of Kenyans has expressed dissatisfaction with the status of implementation.

The government came under fire over what members of the public described as opulence, citing instances where leaders dish out colossal sums of money during fundraisers.

“They are always dancing. You see people dancing from town to town, while we are dying of hunger wherever we are. Then you talk of Singapore. What do you mean by Singapore?” Arnolda Abonyo, a resident, said.

Another resident Abong’o Abong’o added, “Many of us want to go to Singapore or Canaan, but I want to go to Burkina Faso because we talk about Singapore and Canaan, yet we do not have drugs in our hospitals. Corruption. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation.”

Point six of the ten-point agenda, which focuses on compensation for all pending claims by protest victims, also featured prominently. Victims of the 2007/2008 post-election skirmishes called for inclusion in the compensation programme.

“You know very well we had our jobs back then, but many of us lost our property and we were left with nothing. We are tired of being ignored. We also want to be compensated,” said a resident, Nerea Atieno.

Committee members also called out a section of the political class for disparaging the committee and its mandate, singling out ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna over recent remarks questioning their performance.

“He goes to the media and says this committee has done zero. He rated us zero. It is very unfortunate that a senior member of ODM, instead of guiding and supporting this process, chooses to dismiss it, yet we are doing this work for Kenyans,” member Fatuma Ibrahim stated.

Chairperson Dr Agnes Zani added, “Let us also build Kenya to a point where even those countries can begin to admire us. We have the capacity. We just need better coordination and to address the mindset and psyche we have as Kenyans to get there.”

The committee is expected to conduct public participation sessions across the country before issuing its final report in March.