Faith Odhiambo resigns from Ruto's victim's compensation panel

 

The Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo has resigned from a panel appointed by President William Ruto for compensation of protests victims.

Ms Odhiambo who was the vice chairperson of the panel is said to have tendered her resignation today mid-morning.

The reasons why she has opted out of the Prof Makau Mutua’s team remain uknown as she did not pick or respond to calls.

This comes as Kerugoya High Court directed that the case filed by Lawyer Levi Munyeri against the panel to be heard on October 21, 2025, with a judgment expected on November 11,2025.

When she  took office as the President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), she promised to stand for rule of law. Indeed, she did during the Gen-Z protests.

The midnight calls, the rushes to court to seek the detained or abducted persons by police and frequenting post-mortem exercises in support of families that lost their loved ones.

She was a heroine during the Gen-Z protests.

Odhiambo spent sleepless nights as her mobile phones incessantly rang with mothers, fathers, brothers, friends, and colleagues raising alarms as they sought help from police cells, while others reported loved ones killed, maimed, or missing.

Since then, she became the most visible and vocal woman, fighting injustices and defending rights crusaders.

However, months towards the end of her stint at the helm of the society, she is being accused of betraying the same people she defended, cried with. She is under siege.

Odhiambo’s decision to take up the role as Vice Chairperson Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Public Protests drew a lot of criticism.

Former LSK President Nelson Havi said that said LSK is statutory office, and noted it is improper for the president to accept an appointment from the executive.

“It creates a conflict of interest between one's personal goals and one's official duties as president of the Law Society of Kenya,” Havi explained.

He said during his tenure as LSK president, a resolution was passed that the LSK, Council members will not accept appointments from the executive, adding that Faith was in that council.

Havi also noted that courts have determined that the president has no power to appoint task forces.

“To deal with matters that have been set aside to be dealt with by bodies established under the constitution, this task force is likely to be declared null and void, that reason is also improper for her to take up this appointment,” said Havi

He said the government had branded anybody injured or killed during crime was a criminal and questioned how the State turned around and said it wants to compensate victims of post-lease brutality.

Lawyer Charles Kanjama said the LSK president should be cautious about accepting government appointments of this kind.

He however said taskforce is an opportunity to contribute to what Odhiambo has been undertaking, ‘which is supporting the victims of extrajudicial killings, abductions.’