What Ruto, Raila agreed on in new pact

President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have agreed to grant amnesty to those charged while exercising their rights to peaceful assembly.

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed Friday, aimed at addressing Kenya's social, economic, and political challenges in 2025, the two leaders emphasised that the right to protest is a constitutional right that all Kenyans must be able to enjoy without hindrance.

As part of the agreement, the leaders also pledged to compensate victims of past protests.

“The derogation of rights to peaceful assembly and protests remains one of the most shameful realities on the excesses of Kenya’s law and order responses since independence,” the document reads part.

The efforts to uphold the right, he said, must now involve not just taking responsibility for officers who break the law but also compensation of victims of these derogations, it states.

The National Police Service, it states, must also update its approach to managing demonstrations and public gatherings.

Regarding the national debt, the MOU stipulates that an urgent audit must be conducted to establish how much has been borrowed in the past and how it has been used.

The document has stressed the need to slowly address the ballooning of the national debt and ensure accountability on future borrowing.

On tackling corruption, the two leaders have agreed to enhance the capacity of institutions charged with the mandate particularly the offices of the Auditor General, Controller of Budget, and EACC.

Additionally, the agreement seeks to address issues of leadership and integrity, proposing the establishment of a legal and institutional framework to tackle conflicts of interest among public servants.