The government has extended an invitation to families whose kin were killed during protests, amid criticism over broken promises from the State.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen revealed that the government was willing to engage with the parents of the victims, calling on their families to reach out to his Ministry.
Speaking at State House during a breakfast engagement with the new Kenya Premier League champions, Police FC, Murkomen addressed the recent spate of protests and urged the victims' families to come forward.
“In the Ministry we are ready to meet those who have lost their children as a result of these political acts,” Murkomen said. “It doesn’t matter what happened. From a human perspective, we are ready to meet their families and have a conversation with them.”
His remarks came just a day after the mother of the boy who was shot and killed on Thursday, June 27, 2024, at the height of the anti-Finance Bill protests accused President William Ruto of failing to deliver on his promises to her.
Jocinter Anyango spoke on Sunday, June 22, during an interdenominational church service attended by several dignitaries, where she detailed a conversation with President Ruto in the wake of the death of her son, Kennedy Onyango.
According to Jocinter, the President had promised to host her at State House for a discussion on the death of her son, but the meeting never took place.
In a subtle rejoinder, however, Murkomen revealed that his Ministry, alongside President William Ruto, was willing to engage with all affected families to discuss a way forward.
“Our doors are open, and Your Excellency, I’m sure your door is also open, and the IG’s door is open,” he stated.
The Cabinet Secretary went on to criticise activists, warning them against interfering with the process of compensating families of protest victims.
“We want to ask those political scavengers to keep off and allow those families to visit us and let us have a conversation on how best to help them move forward,” the CS warned.
As far as compensation is concerned, several families of protest casualties have come forward to criticise the government, claiming that justice has never been served months after the deaths.
In the wake of the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody, public outrage prompted action, with the President extending a Ksh2 million token to Ojwang’s family.
