Has Baby Samantha Pendo Family Been Compensated After the Kid was Killed by Fred Matiang’i as Uhuru’s Interior CS in 2017
If we look at the 2017 to begin with let’s point at police actions in the killing of 6 months old Samantha Pendo (Baby Pendo) which sticks out for Kenyans who have been seeking justice for victims of state terrorism.
Baby Pendo was not a victim of demonstrations or protests. She was a victim of gruesome state violence when she and her family were attacked in their own house in Nyalenda estates in Kisumu and they were not anywhere near demonstrations when that tragedy was inflicted on the family.
Samantha Pendo was asleep in her mother’s arms when police forced their way into their home (Reuters)
There are many victims of state terror in the 2017 post election violence who deserve to be compensated and they should be allowed to file their cases for compensation.
Samantha Pendo was brutally killed in her mother’s arm while she was holding her and being beaten by police officers and a teargas canister was thrown right into her face which was inches away from the officer who threw it.
“It is a scar that will never fade away,” Ms Achieng, a hotel worker, told the BBC about the death of six-month-old Samantha Pendo who died with a broken skull and of internal bleeding.
Rigathi Gachagua then Ruto’s DP declared himself as the security boss and promised to wipe out the entire demonstrators and killed a lot of Kenyans. That criminal now wants to be in charge of the future of the country. Kenyans know him and his stupid tricks will not work.
Right now we have cases of Kenyans killed point blank by Kenya police officers and nothing exemplifies that more than the killing of Boniface Kariuki shot to death point blank in his face while he was just selling masks in Nairobi streets. Is Boniface Kariuki a victim of demonstrations?
Of course not and his case is a terrifying example of outright police terrorism against Kenyans. The young man is gone forever but his family must be compensated and that is a big part of the job for the compensation team announced by President Ruto.
Kenya mourns vendor killed in protests.
Susan Njeri, centre, mother of Boniface Kariuki, is supported by youth and family members after seeing his body, on July 11, 2025
How about Albert Ojwang’ who was violently strangled to death and his head smashed to pieces while in a police cell at Central Police Station on orders from high ranking state officers who are supposed to serve law and order in the country but in this case decided to commit one of the most heinous crimes in Kenya’s long record of state violence against the citizens of our country.
“My son died like an animal,” said Meshack Ojwang’ before breaking down in tears in front of journalists outside Central Police Station in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi
Kisumu Governor Nyong’o has opened a park in memory of Baby Samantha Pendo in Kisumu.
Albert Ojwang’s parents are devastated by the loss of their only son.
Police shot dead a peaceful protester outside parliament on June 25, 2024.
“We stand in solidarity and commend the Kenyan youth who came out in large numbers to defend our rights by rejecting the punitive Finance Bill, 2024. This is our constitutional right, per Article 37 of the Kenyan Constitution” said human rights activists who came to help.
Batons, tear gas, live fire, police brutality, that is what people face all the time during protests.
Police violence against young Kenyans went overboard during the anti-tax demonstrations in 2024 when people were being shot point at close range by cops in the streets and many got killed.
When the protests, dubbed “Occupy Parliament”, began the public outcry forced the government to withdraw some of the contentious proposals, including a 16% tax on bread and an annual 2.5% tax on vehicles, but it did not stem the anger of the mainly youthful protesters.
They focused on the government of President William Ruto. Since becoming president, he had introduced several new and unpopular taxes, which critics said stifled economic growth and lead to job losses.
Amnesty International accused the police of using excessive force to contain protesters, many of whom were arrested during the ant-tax demonstrations.
Rex Masai bled to death after being hit in the thigh.
His mother, Gillian Munyao, told journalists that her son joined protests after work and he was evading tear gas when he was shot in the city centre. “The only mistake Rex did was to defend the rights of everyone, we want justice for our child,” Ms Munyao added.
His father, Chrispin Odawa, said he was a “very calm, peaceful and obedient child”.
Mr Masai was taken to Bliss Hospital along Nairobi’s Moi Avenue where he was pronounced dead, officials there said.
“He was shot in the upper middle part of the thigh. It appears he bled to death before being brought to our facility,” a doctor told Kenya’s Nation news website.
“We will print posters with Rex’s face and name around Nairobi terming him as a hero. We will cover the burial expenses as well,” Hanifa Farsafi posted on X. “My heart is absolutely broken… but it was not in vain,” she added.
A total of 39 people were injured during those protests, with eight of among them in critical condition, according to the Kenya Red Cross.
Nearly a decade after the death of six-month-old Samantha Pendo shocked the nation, her memory now lives on in a vibrant botanical park where children will play, families will gather and a city hopes to turn pain into hope.
The Baby Pendo Botanical Park was officially commissioned on Wednesday by the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga at the reclaimed Kachok dumpsite in Kisumu county, marking a significant milestone in the city’s urban renewal programme.
The event was attended by Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, Baby Pendo’s parents, county officials, development partners and residents who gathered to witness the opening of the public recreational facility.
Built on what was once one of Kisumu’s largest dumpsites near Mega City, the park has transformed a degraded landscape into a botanical green space complete with landscaped gardens, walking paths and open recreational grounds.
Nyong’o described the park as more than just a recreational facility, saying it represents the possibility of transforming tragedy into hope.
“Baby Pendo Botanical Park is more than a park. It is evidence that decline need not be permanent,” he said.
Explaining why the park bears Baby Pendo’s name, the governor said societies must remember painful moments honestly if they are to move forward.
“Baby Pendo was only six months old when she lost her life through violence that should never have occurred. She never voted. She never belonged to any political party. Yet her death compelled the country to confront uncomfortable questions about the relationship between politics, justice and human dignity,” Nyong’o said.
The governor added that they honour her not by preserving sorrow, but by refusing to waste it.
“Every child who plays here, every student who learns here and every family that finds rest here will know that something beautiful was deliberately created where something tragic once occurred.”
Nyong’o recalled visiting Baby Pendo’s family following her death and witnessing her mother’s grief, saying the experience reinforced the need for governments to protect the dignity, rights and lives of every citizen.
He said the park should remain a constant reminder that justice, peace and respect for human life must always prevail, adding that both the national and county governments have a constitutional duty to work together in improving the lives of Kenyans.
The governor also thanked the national government and development partners for supporting Kisumu’s urban renewal projects, saying collaboration remains key to building inclusive and resilient cities.
For Baby Pendo’s mother, the commissioning was an emotional moment as she reflected on the loss that changed her life forever.
Standing before the gathering, she said she spoke not only as a bereaved mother but also as a Kenyan who still believes in justice, healing and hope.
“Baby Pendo’s life was tragically cut short during the violence that followed the 2017 elections. She was an innocent child whose only crime was being born at a time when conflict and excessive use of force overshadowed the value of human life,” she said.
She described her daughter’s death as a painful reminder of the devastating consequences of violence and police brutality, adding that although nothing could bring her child back, the park had given new meaning to her memory.
“This park is more than a place of recreation. It is a symbol of remembrance, healing, accountability and our collective promise that never again should such a tragedy happen to another mother,” she said.
She thanked the Kisumu government, the national government, development partners, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, faith leaders and everyone who had stood with the family throughout their long search for justice.
The grieving mother also appealed to Kenyans to support the Baby Pendo Foundation, saying it seeks to promote peaceful coexistence, strengthen trust between communities and state institutions, advocate for justice and accountability and protect the rights and dignity of every child.
“Together we can transform our pain into purpose and build a future where dialogue triumphs over violence. Let Baby Pendo’s legacy unite us rather than divide us,” she said.
She further appealed to Nyong’o to allow Baby Pendo’s family to manage the park, saying it would help them preserve their daughter’s memory and remain connected to the place built in her honour.
Holding back tears, she said she only got to enjoy her daughter for six months before her life was cut short.
“I only enjoyed my baby for six months. I never got to see her grow up. May no mother ever go through what I went through. May peace be with us all,” she said.
The Principal Secretary described Kisumu as a model of peace and stability whose progress should not be taken for granted.
He said the city had become an example of how strategic investment in green infrastructure can restore degraded spaces while improving the quality of life for residents.
The Baby Pendo Botanical Park forms part of the county government’s efforts to reclaim degraded land through nature-based solutions aimed at enhancing climate resilience and expanding public green spaces.
Beyond recreation, the facility also serves as a centre for environmental education and community engagement, hosting tree-planting activities, mental health awareness programmes and World Environment Day celebrations.
For Baby Pendo’s family, the park stands as a lasting tribute to a life cut short, ensuring her name will forever be associated not only with a painful chapter in Kenya’s history, but also with hope, healing and a renewed commitment to protecting every child’s right to life.
And when are the police criminals who killed Baby Samantha Pendo being convicted of murdering that little kid killed when she was six months old. That case has been in court for more than 8 years. What is stopping the judges and the DPP from concluding the case?
Adongo Ogony is a Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada
