The Kilifi County Government has given families of the Shakahola massacre victims 21 days to identify and collect the 443 bodies preserved at the Malindi Sub County Hospital for burial by December 2026. This decision was made after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations completed its investigations, allowing the county to begin interring the remains of the unclaimed bodies. The county government has published a Gazette notice giving relatives 21 days to come forward.
Kilifi County Executive Committee Member in charge of Health Peter Mwarogo stated that the 443 bodies would be buried in a manner that allows them to be identified in the future. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations will guide the process, and the county has identified land near the Shakahola Forest for the interment of unclaimed remains. This process will enable identification of the burial site even years later if someone comes to claim the remains.
Only 14 out of the 443 bodies have been identified by relatives through DNA matching. Some families have been traced but declined to collect the remains due to the stigma associated with the tragedy. The Directorate of Criminal Investigation retains records of the DNA matching and identification process for ongoing legal proceedings. Mwarogo informed the Joint Senate Committees on Health and Public Investments and Special Funds of this development during their visit to the Malindi Sub County Hospital.
The County Health Executive told Senators that the remains have been stored in a container at the hospital after being released from the custody of investigators. The temporary storage facility is taking up space needed by the hospital, which is why the county is informing affected families to avail themselves or else dispose of the bodies. The county aims to conclude the matter by December.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator William Kisang asked the county to go beyond the gazette notice, stating that reliance on the gazette notice alone would leave some families unaware of the deadline. Kisang suggested that the county should consider wider publicity to ensure families searching for their relatives are informed before the remains are buried. The senator emphasized that the matter is very emotive and shocked the entire country.
The 443 remains include complete bodies as well as body parts recovered during the exhumation process, with some already eaten by wild animals. The county is constructing a new mortuary at the back of the hospital, which is about 90 percent complete and expected to be operational in the coming months. This new facility will ease the pressure on the current mortuary, which has a capacity for 25 bodies and currently has 22.
Mwarogo told Senators that if the period expires without the bodies being claimed, the county will approach the courts for authority to inter the remains. The Shakahola massacre occurred more than three years ago, where hundreds of suspected followers of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie died after being subjected to extreme starvation and other forms of abuse. The county government is working to conclude the matter and provide closure to the affected families.
Key points
- The Kilifi County Government has given families 21 days to identify and collect the 443 bodies of Shakahola massacre victims.
- The county will bury the unclaimed bodies in a manner that allows for future identification.
- A new mortuary is being constructed to ease pressure on the current facility.
