Pressure mounts on government to dispose of Shakahola massacre victims' bodies after year-long delay

Senators are urging the national government to take immediate action to dispose of over 400 bodies exhumed from the Shakahola massacre, saying their prolonged preservation at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital mortuary is delaying critical development projects and preventing families from finding closure.

During a tour of Kilifi County on Saturday, the Senate Health Committee said the hospital urgently needs space to expand and better serve the community. They called for the unidentified bodies to either be buried or relocated.

The senators expressed concern that since 2023, the continued storage of the bodies in two mobile mortuaries has stalled the hospital’s expansion plans and created a public health hazard due to foul odours and escalating electricity costs.

“The facility in Malindi needs space to build new modern infrastructure to serve the people of Kilifi. Those who succumbed due to religious influence also need to be laid to rest,” said Bungoma Senator David Wakoli, speaking at a press briefing held at Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro’s residence.

Mortuary space

Wakoli noted that the county government had allocated funds for hospital development in both the previous and current financial years, but construction had yet to begin due to a lack of available mortuary space.

“As it stands, Governor Mung’aro is stranded because in the last and this financial year, money was put aside to build a facility here, but he cannot move. We are advising the Ministry of Health and Interior to bring this matter to a conclusion and allow the people of Kilifi to move on to the next level to change their lives,” he said.

Although the national government had previously announced plans to bury the unidentified remains in a mass grave at Chakama Ranch—where they were exhumed—and to erect a monument at the site, it has yet to provide a timeline for the burial.

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo echoed the call for urgent intervention, saying the continued presence of the bodies is hindering access to essential healthcare.

“I want to ask the national government to remove the bodies and dispose [of] them in a mass grave in Shakahola or allow the families to identify their loved ones to bury, for us to get space to develop the hospital,” Madzayo said.

Ambulance access blocked

He added that ambulance access had been hampered by the containers and noted that a proposed Sh150 million accident and emergency wing remains on hold due to the stalled construction.

Governor Mung’aro, who previously gave then-Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki a one-week ultimatum to resolve the matter, once threatened to transport the bodies to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. He later withdrew the threat after meeting with national government officials.

The governor described the situation as a public nuisance, citing the unbearable stench and disruption of hospital operations.

He also revealed that the county has spent Sh36 million on electricity alone to power the refrigerated containers storing the bodies since last year.

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Despite efforts by the government to match the remains with DNA samples, only a small fraction of the 429 bodies have been positively identified and claimed by relatives for burial.

The issue has resurfaced amid reports that authorities are preparing to exhume more bodies from another suspected cult site uncovered last month in Binzaro, also located in Chakama.

Kilifi County Criminal Investigation Officer Robert Kiinge confirmed that security and forensic teams are being mobilised for the next phase of exhumation.

Kiinge said authorities are currently identifying a suitable location to preserve the newly recovered remains and related evidence.