Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) forensic staff inspect the scene of a mass grave where 33 bodies were exhumed at a cemetery in Kericho, Western Kenya Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Police in Kericho, western Kenya, have confirmed that 33 bodies exhumed from a church owned cemetery were previously held at Nyamira District Hospital morgue. At least 25 of the victims were children, including foetuses, while eight were adults.
Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said homicide detectives are investigating whether the bodies were legally disposed of after being removed from the hospital. Kenyan law requires unclaimed bodies to be disposed with court authorization after 14 days.
Autopsies are underway to determine causes of death. At least two people have been arrested, and authorities are probing reports that unidentified individuals transported the bodies in a government vehicle for hurried burial.
Residents called for transparency, asking whether the government was involved or if another group orchestrated the mass burial. This marks Kenya’s third major mass-grave discovery in three years, following incidents in Kilifi (2023) and Nairobi (2024), alongside rising concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings.
Human rights group Missing Voices documented 125 extrajudicial killings and six enforced disappearances over the past year, up from 104 killings the previous year.
Goodness Anunobi
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