Over 300 unidentified bodies in Shakahola: CS Murkomen

Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen says families have not presented themselves, hindering the conclusion of this process. So far, over 300 bodies are yet to be identified.

Two years since the shocking discovery of the Shakahola massacre, and a year since the exhumation and identification process began, the quest for closure has stalled. The reason... families either fail to come forward or are unable to afford DNA testing.

"Utapata familia ziko Vihiga, Siaya, Kisumu, and most of them don’t know that their kin died in Kilifi... They are not presenting themselves for DNA," Murkomen said.

At a media roundtable in Nakuru, CS Murkomen warned that the deadlock could force the government to consider another path, laying to rest the unidentified bodies and establishing a memorial park in the Shakahola forest.

"The testing and concluding the matter has been complex, we want to see if we can inter the remaining parts and have a memorial centre within Shakahola," he added. 

Out of 453 bodies exhumed from shallow graves in the vast Shakahola forest, 333 DNA samples were collected.

Only 66 victims have been identified through DNA matches or physical recognition while the rest remain in cold storage at the Malindi Sub-County Mortuary, two years on.

"They take advantage of the vastness, they hide there and commit the atrocities."

In March this year, the identification process came to a halt after the government chemist cited a lack of testing kits and the high cost of importing them, leaving families desperate and unable to bury their loved ones. The process has never resumed.