KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda has invited claims from victims of political unrest since 2017 for forwarding to Nairobi, even as a fierce political row rages over the legal basis of President William Ruto’s compensation framework.Ojienda on Tuesday urged residents who lost loved ones, suffered injuries, or had property destroyed to submit proof of loss to his Kisumu office, saying the government was ready to pay reparations.“The compensation will cover incidents from 2017. Be ready to receive payment from the current administration,” he said at the Kisumu bus park, where he visited the site of a recent fire.President Ruto appointed his constitutional affairs and human rights advisor, Makau Mutua, to lead a 120-day process on August 8. The plan will cover victims of protests and riots from January 1, 2017, to July 31, 2025, and involve officials from the presidency, the Attorney General’s office, the Treasury, the Interior Ministry, and other agencies.The initiative, backed by ODM leader Raila Odinga, has drawn sharp criticism from Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP–Kenya’s Eugene Wamalwa, who question its legality and argue the Executive cannot be trusted to compensate victims of its own alleged abuses. ‘Wolves deciding cow matters’They demanded the process move to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, citing Article 59(1)(E) of the Constitution, and called for the immediate suspension of Mutua’s role.“Through the shoot-to-kill and shoot-in-the-leg orders, can they be the ones responsible for redress and compensation of their own victims of police brutality? A wolf cannot decide the matters of cow or crow,” Kalonzo said.Mutua dismissed the objections, accusing the two leaders of politicising “a noble effort” to heal the nation and urging them to propose constructive solutions instead in a response on Sunday.He cited the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission as an example of a government-led transitional justice mechanism and insisted victim compensation is a legitimate global practice.While rights groups and some victims’ families have cautiously welcomed the idea, sections of the opposition see it as a political ploy ahead of the 2027 General Election.