A coalition of victims and survivors of state violence has charged a government compensation panel with unfairly excluding those abducted or forcibly disappeared from a proposed payment scheme.
The Coalition of Victims and Survivors Against State Violence (CVSSV) described the omission as unjust and demanded the prompt release of the full beneficiary list before the June 25 anniversary.
A statement issued Wednesday protested the panelled by Prof. Makau Mutuaover its failure to include families of abducted, tortured, or disappeared victims.
The coalition emphasized, “This is not a mere administrative mistake; it represents a deliberate exclusion of eligible victims.”
It added that families of those taken or left missing have endured prolonged suffering and should be part of any reparations program.
According to CVSSV, none of the 35 recorded disappearances or 135 torture cases were covered in the first phase of payouts.
The statement warned that “Justice cannot be segmented. Victims must not be ranked by political convenience. Every victim of state violence deserves equal recognition, dignity, and restitution.”
The coalition called for immediate inclusion of abduction and disappearance victims in the compensation framework and urged the panel to implement the recommendations of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights report.
It urged the publication of the complete beneficiary list to enable public scrutiny.
The statement was released on the eve of the second anniversary of the June 25, 2024 protests, which the coalition said marked a turning point in Kenya’s pursuit of justice.
The coalition said the anniversary would honor those who perished, were injured, disappeared, or suffered arrests while exercising constitutional rights.
“The anniversary is not only about remembering the dead. It is about honoring their courage, standing with survivors, demanding justice, and reaffirming the values that many Kenyans sacrificed for,” the coalition said.
The coalition also raised concerns about alleged intimidation of victims and survivors intending to attend commemorations and stressed that peaceful remembrance is a constitutional right.
“Commemorating is not a crime. Remembering those who were killed, disappeared, tortured, abducted, or injured is a protected constitutional right,” said the statement.
The coalition further alleged that government-sponsored operatives might infiltrate demonstrations and advised citizens to remain alert and document any incidents during the commemorations.
Simultaneously, CVSSV criticized the Independent Policing Oversight Authority for its sluggish investigation of police violence cases.
It cited IPOA data indicating that only six of 62 recorded police killings in 2024 had seen real progress, and just one of 65 killings in 2025 had reached court, warning that delays could entrench impunity and weaken public trust.
The coalition urged all Kenyans to join the June 25 commemorations peacefully while continuing to demand justice, accountability, and reparations for state violence victims.