Former Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter has strongly differed with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over his recent remarks calling for the government to compensate victims injured during the Gen Z protests.
Raila made the statement during Madaraka Day celebrations held at Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay on Sunday, May 1, 2025, where he urged the government to offer compensation as a way of closing the chapter on the protests.
However, Keter has taken a different stance. In a post made on his social media pages on Monday, June 2, 2025, he argued that what the victims need is not compensation but justice.
According to Keter, the government should focus on ensuring that those responsible for harming the protesters are identified, tried, and held accountable for their actions.
He emphasised that the chapter on Gen Z protests can only be closed once justice is served, not through financial compensation.
‘’Mr Notam! The people who were killed and those who were injured during Gen Z protests don’t need compensation for us to have closure on the chapter, but they need justice, and the killers must be brought to face trial and eventually serve life sentences!” Keter said.
He maintained that true healing for the victims and their families will come from seeing the perpetrators of the violence face the law and be punished accordingly.
Raila’s speech
On June 1, 2025, during the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations at the Raila Odinga Stadium, ODM leader Raila Odinga urged President William Ruto’s government to compensate the families of victims killed or injured during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests led by Generation Z.
Speaking before a crowd of over 12,000, Raila acknowledged Ruto’s recent apology at the National Prayer Breakfast, but emphasised that they were wonderful, but according to Raila, the apologies alone were insufficient. He stated, “Families who lost their sons and daughters must be compensated.
It’s the only way to heal and move forward,” framing compensation as critical for national reconciliation and closure.
Raila also referenced earlier protests in 2022 and 2023, highlighting the need to address losses resulting from state excesses during these demonstrations.
However, President Ruto, who was the one gracing the event, did not directly address the compensation demand in his speech, focusing instead on his administration’s achievements.
Not on one occasion has the former deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, among other leaders, also come out calling for compensation for these victims, as he demands that the government should be held responsible
