The state-funded human rights commission will vet the victims before the funds are distributed.

Speaking during the release of a national Reparations Framework Report, Ruto explained that the compensation represents “a state acknowledgment that harm occurred” and was not an “admission” of guilt.

The major payout follows years of violent unrest in the East African nation that left hundreds of dead, injured, or suffering severe business losses.

Most notably, annual anti-government protests against increased taxes shook the country in June 2024 and June 2025, destroying millions of dollars in property. The government stated this tax protests were infiltrated by criminals.

In the most recent incident, demonstrations against an Ebola quarantine center for Americans left three people dead and dozens of others injured.

Ruto emphasized that the money was not the “price of life, of pain or of loss,” and cautioned that it should not be viewed as a “reward for violence or criminality” in a country where violent demonstrations are common.

“A nation heals by tending to its wounds rather than pretending they does not exist,” Ruto said.

Claris Ogangah, head of Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights, stated that the payments will directly contribute to the country's recovery.

“The stories captured in the Reparations Framework Report remind us that behind every statistic is a human being — a family and a community whose suffering has often remained unseen and unacknowledged,” Ogangah said.

“By giving voice to these experiences, the report contributes to a national process of healing founded on truth, recognition, and remembrance,” she added.