Authorities have exhumed 33 bodies, most believed to be children, from a mass grave in Kericho. A court order had authorized the burial of just 13. The remaining 20 bodies, undocumented and unexplained, have triggered questions about procedural lapses, criminal liability, and the possibility of state involvement.

Documents obtained by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) show that only 13 bodies, comprising eight adults, one child, three foetuses, and a set of stillborn twins, were officially cleared for burial, according to correspondence from Nyamira County Referral Hospital to the Chief Magistrate of Nyamira Law Courts. No authorization was given for the additional 20 bodies.

The process interring the bodies took place without proper documentation, coordination, or oversight by county health authorities, raising serious concerns about the roles of hospital officials, cemetery management, and law enforcement agencies in this incident.

So far, neither hospital authorities nor police have accounted for the 20 unidentified bodies. KHRC warns this may signal an attempt to conceal unlawful deaths. Kenya’s long history of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and state cover-ups backs this up.

The Kericho discovery mirrors the 2024 Embakasi quarry case, where bodies of murdered women were discovered. Witnesses noted that some victims had toothpaste smeared around their eyes, a tactic previously used by protesters to counteract teargas during anti-finance bill demonstrations.

The discovery further brings to mind the mass deaths in Shakahola forest in Kilifi, where 429 bodies were recovered amid delayed and opaque investigations. The latest discovery forms part of a criminal trend of mass fatalities and weak accountability in the country.

The Kericho incident is a threat to Kenyans’ constitutional rights to life and dignity, and against this backdrop, the KHRC demands an urgent, independent, and transparent investigation that includes:

  1. Establishing individual and institutional culpability, including the roles of police officers and public officials involved;
  2. Determining whether the additional bodies are linked to possible enforced disappearances or extrajudicial killings;
  3. Ensuring forensic identification, including DNA testing, to restore identity and dignity to the victims;
  4. Guaranteeing full public disclosure of findings and prosecutorial action where violations are confirmed.