Seven More Bodies Exhumed from Shakahola Forest in Kilifi

Seven more bodies were on Tuesday June 4 exhumed from the Shakahola forest, Kilifi County on the second day of phase five of the exercise. 

The bodies were exhumed from seven graves raising the number of bodies exhumed in phase 5 to 14 and the death toll to 443.

On the first day of the exercise, four bodies were exhumed from one grave while the other three were buried separately.

Chief Government pathologist Johansen Oduor said the investigation was being conducted procedurally with the autopsy report.

“When somebody dies, the investigation is very wide from the place where the person was found, transportation of the body to the mortuary, to autopsy,” he said.

“Each and every agent usually has their own unique training on what to do in every stage so that now after every agency has done their part, a report is compiled and whatever we found is put together and taken to court for the purposes of prosecution.”

The homicide detectives have so far exhumed bodies from 10 graves.

Homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations returned to the area to commence the fifth phase of exhuming bodies of victims from the Shakahola mass murder where a total of 50 graves were identified before the exercise began.

The suspects behind the deaths are facing various charges in court. Survivors and victims’ families have said Paul Mackenzie urged followers to fast in order to “go see Jesus”.

He and his group have been charged with among others terrorism and murder.

Police and prosecutors allege that apart from starvation, some victims may have been strangled, suffocated or beaten to death using blunt objects.

The 30 accused have been charged with murdering 191 people.

But when it comes to the 443 bodies in the morgue, only 39 have been matched with families through DNA testing.

Other relatives are still enduring an agonising wait.