About 32 bodies, mostly children, have been dug up from a mass grave in the western Kenyan town of Kericho as investigations continue into the shocking discovery. The exhumation was done after the police obtained a court order to retrieve 14 bodies that were initially believed to have been buried at the site.
Government pathologist Richard Njoroge told journalists that what they found was quite unusual with bodies stacked in gunny bags, after a day-long process interrupted by heavy rains. A post-mortem examination is expected to begin soon amid calls for prompt identification of the bodies and further investigation into their deaths.
Njoroge stated that there were 7 adults and 25 children, with the children being infants and fetuses. Some bodies appeared to have originated from hospitals, which will be confirmed after autopsies are conducted. The adult remains were highly decomposed, indicating that they died at different times.
The exhumation, prompted by a tip-off from a whistleblower, revealed unsettling practices surrounding the burial process. Initial findings indicated that 13 unclaimed bodies had recently been released from a hospital in neighboring Nyamira county and transported to Kericho for burial without proper procedures being followed. Investigations into potential criminal activities are ongoing, with two suspects already arrested.
Human rights groups have expressed outrage over the discovery, labeling it a staggering and horrific escalation that underscores the need for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding these tragic deaths.
