Kenyan police on Tuesday exhumed at least 32 bodies from a suspected mass grave discovered in Kericho County on March 21. Authorities had initially reported 14 bodies at the site, but the latest findings significantly increased the number.
Government pathologist Dr. Richard Njoroge confirmed that 25 of the bodies were children, while seven were adults. He noted that some of the bodies appeared to have come from hospitals and mortuaries, adding that a conclusive report would be given after autopsies are conducted.
Detectives conducted the day-long exhumation, with postmortem examinations expected later in the week. Officials from the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) and human rights activists are calling for transparency and accountability.
Anxiety has gripped the area since the Saturday discovery, when police disclosed a report had been filed about the “secret burial” of 14 bodies by unknown individuals.
Two suspects, including the Medical Superintendent of Nyamira Teaching and Referral Hospital, are in police custody, while others are being questioned. Police are investigating whether any criminal activity occurred beyond the reported irregularities in the burial process.
Human rights activists are urging the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to conduct independent investigations. Local leaders and communities are demanding answers from both county and national governments, emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and reforms to prevent further tragedies.
Locals say the discovery has invoked memories of the 2023 exhumation of hundreds of bodies in Shakahola Forest on Kenya’s coast, in what became known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre.”
At least 32 bodies discovered in Kenya mass grave
