The family of Late MP Marie John Seroney has been awarded Sh17 million for his unlawful detention and torture by the state in 1975.
The former MP was a human rights activist who defended the rights of citizens and was very vocal on corruption during Late President Daniel Arap Moi’s tenure.
He was detained for 1,155 days without trial following fall out with late Moi and lost his parliamentary seat in the process. He later died on December 6, 1982.
Following his death, his family sought compensation for the violence meted on them and the losses incurred by the Moi regime.
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For instance, in February 2012, Seroney’s widow, Ziporah Serony indicated that it had been 21 years since they were kicked out of their Tinderet home and they have not been able to view his grave since.
“In 1991, I received a warning that someone wanted my head. At that point, I was forced to flee from my home with my children,” Widow Seroney told journalists in a presser.
In 2011, the then Naivasha MP John Mututho tabled a petition in the National Assembly calling upon the Government to offer an apology for the detention and torture of Seroney and other victims.
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In addition, Mututho wanted the State to compensate them for their loss and suffering that they were subjected to, arguing that they did not commit any crime other than exercising their freedom of speech in parliament.
Mututho asked the then speaker Kenneth Marende to take charge of the matter and derive a solution.
“The rules are clear, and he said I would have the feedback in 21 days but it has been months now,” the MP for Naivasha told journalists following his meeting with Seroney’s widow.
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Apart from losing their home, the family also lost their farm which was sold to the bank in a bid to recover the loan that the Late MP had acquired.
Ideally, the widow had been left with 7 children and 6 other stepchildren to fend for on her own.
“My husband was a hero who represented and fought for others. Where are the human rights activists in this country now? My daughter was 16 years old when she was raped by 30 men who came to harass us at our home 21 years ago. She is yet to recover from the ordeal,” she said during a presser in 2012.
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