Barely fourteen months after being forced into hiding by an unlawful police operation on his house, Ndiang'ui Kinyagia has been awarded Sh 5 million by the High Court. The ruling sets an important precedent for hundreds of protesters whose rights have also been violated. It must also lead us to ask, what is the financial cost of illegal policing practices and who should be liable?

This week’s 10 September ruling striking down the Community Groups Registration Act (2022) ends one of the major assaults on the right of communities to associate across Kenya’s 47 counties since the promulgation of the Constitution sixteen years ago.

Eight years, 42 witnesses, and a mountain of evidence culminated in the conviction of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, Michael Oyamo, and Caspal Obiero for the killing of Sharon Otieno. Their upcoming sentencing has revived questions about justice for Sharon and her unborn child, the only people who will not be in court on 16 September.

What is more astonishing? Seven citizens allegedly abducted, unlawfully detained and tortured after a march honouring victims of police brutality on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture or the Interior Principal Secretary insisting no enforced disappearances have taken place under President Ruto’s administration?

Now firmly etched in the national conscience, the second anniversary of 25 June 2024 was thankfully commemorated without fatalities and few injuries. The mothers of those we commemorated once again turned private grief into another historical moment of national resistance.

Listening to the State House speeches and reading the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Reparations Framework, I agree with transitional justice expert Tina Alai’s observation. While the moment is significant, it is not yet historic. What clarity does the Framework offer victims and a nation traumatised by state violence and what must the State do next?

Mwabili Mwagodi's court arraignment, followed by the full acquittal of university student David Oaga Mokaya, shines a stronger spotlight on the misuse of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and an international instrument, Interpol’s Red Notice system, to stifle political expression

16 days of activism against gender-based violence ended on Wednesday, which was also International Human Rights Day. That horrific “initiation” gang rape in Meru reaffirmed how far we are from a society that keeps all women and girls dignified and safe. Less visible however, is how sexual violence and trauma that follows, affects Kenyan men and boys.

The High Court has struck down the President’s Panel of Experts on compensating victims of protest-related state violence. Survivors and families should not lose hope. Justice Edward Muriithi has outlined a fair path forward for all parties.

State House and Vigilance House appeared misaligned this week. A rise in civilian deaths in police custody and limited progress in the Baby Pendo case weeks after the Experts Panel on victim compensation was sworn in, raise serious doubts about the justice system’s commitment to public safety and accountability.

Several victims’ families, human rights defenders, netizens and bots this week focused on holding the advisory Panel of Experts on compensation for victims of brutal protest policing legally accountable. Their call is clear. A newly released report strengthens the case for urgent criminal justice reforms to prevent and respond to police related deaths and trauma.

President Ruto’s announcement on 6 August to set up a panel to compensate victims of protest-related deaths (2017–2025) marks a new step in Kenya’s transitional justice journey. But does Kenya’s history suggest that reparations for victims of state violence are just a distant dream? They shouldn’t be. Here are some guiding six principles.