Seven bodies dug up from grave

Seven more bodies were Monday exhumed from two secret graves in Kitengela and Athi River.

Police led by chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor exhumed six bodies from the mass grave in a disused quarry while the seventh was found in a cave about two kilometres away.
The quarry is part of the 2,000-acre Sheep and Goat Farm. Local villagers graze their animals in the farm.

Mr Samwel Sayiore, 62, found the grave while grazing his animals.
Mr Sayiore immediately alerted the area chief and called the police who confirmed that there were several bodies buried .
Police collected the limbs scattered around the quarry while the rest of the area was cordoned off.

Mr Oduor, the government pathologist, visited the area on Sunday afternoon and returned on Monday to exhume other bodies.

Police and Red Cross members were in the process of excavating the burial site when a herds-boy discovered a decomposing human body next to a dry riverbed about two kilometres from the quarry.

The man alerted the police who rushed to the second site and cordoned it off. Only one body was found in the new site which was shaped like a cave.

Adult males

Mr Oduor said all seven victims appeared to be adult males but he did not rule out the possibility of this observation changing once post-mortem results are released since the torso of one of the bodies was missing.

“The bodies will be taken to City Mortuary. I urge anyone from the area who has missing relatives to come forward and help us identify some of the bodies,” he said.
One of the victims was dressed in a reflective jacket commonly worn by boda-boda operators.

Mr Oduor said that the bodies retrieved in both places could not have been more than two weeks old but cautioned that only a post-mortem could accurately tell the exact time frame.
Kajiado Senator Peter Mositet blamed the Interior ministry for not resolving land rows in Kitengela.

“The state of security in Kenya is appalling, especially in Kitengela. What has happened here is horrific. We call on Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku to act speedily and get to the bottom of what has happened here,” he said.

Mr Mositet also decried the recent spate of violence involving a church in Kitengela where suspected Mungiki members attacked worshippers, killing three and injuring 13 others.
“Churches that encourage violence should be investigated,” he said.

The senator said that there was a high possibility that the exhumed bodies were victims of the recent clashes between members of Mungiki fighting over a 4,000 acre piece of land previously owned by East Africa Portland.

Several people were reported killed in the scuffle at Hope International Church in Kitengela. The church was started by Maina Njenga, a founder of Mungiki. He has previously denied any involvement in the disputed land and claims that he is no longer the leader of the sect.