Shakahola Victims: Families Given 21 Days to Collect Remains

Kilifi County has given families 21 days to claim the remains of relatives who died in the Shakahola tragedy before it seeks court approval to bury those that remain unclaimed.

The county is holding 443 bodies and body parts at a temporary morgue at Malindi Sub-County Hospital. County Health Executive Peter Mwarogo said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had completed forensic investigations, allowing the remains to be prepared for burial.

Mwarogo said the remains had been embalmed and would be buried in a way that allows them to be identified in future if relatives come forward. Land near Shakahola forest has already been set aside for the burials.

The directive was announced during a meeting with members of the Senate committees on Public Investments and Special Funds, and Health. Senators urged the county to use a wider range of communication channels to reach families, noting that relying on a Gazette notice could exclude people who do not have access to such publications.

Senator William Kisang called for the information to be shared through television, social media and other mainstream media platforms so that families still searching for their relatives can be reached. Only 14 of the remains have so far been positively identified through DNA matching. 

Authorities have also said stigma surrounding the Shakahola tragedy has prevented some families from collecting the remains of relatives whose identities have been confirmed. Mwarogo said some families had successfully traced their relatives but had declined to take the bodies because of the stigma associated with the case. 

Records of the DNA matches remain with the DCI for use in ongoing legal proceedings. The storage of hundreds of remains has placed significant pressure on Malindi Sub-County Hospital. The temporary morgue, which is housed in a container, is separate from the hospital's main mortuary, which has a capacity of 25 bodies and is nearly full.

To address the pressure on the facility, the county is constructing a new mortuary that is about 90 percent complete. The facility will eventually allow mortuary services to be moved away from the hospital's main entrance.