33 bodies exhumed at a mass grave in Kericho cemetery
In a disturbing discovery that has sent shockwaves across Kericho County, authorities have exhumed 33 bodies from a suspected mass grave at the Makaburini Public Cemetery. The operation, carried out on Tuesday by a multi-agency team including homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), far exceeded initial expectations of around 14 remains.
Among the deceased were 25 children—many believed to be infants or minors—and eight adults, with some bodies stuffed in gunny bags or body bags and buried under unclear circumstances just days earlier.
The exhumation followed a court order secured after members of the public and local reports raised alarms over suspicious burials at the two-acre cemetery, which has been managed by the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) since the 1970s. Government pathologist Dr. Richard Njoroge oversaw the process and confirmed the grim tally, noting that investigators also recovered six dismembered body parts, including upper and lower limbs. Officials described the findings as involving remains with "varied timelines and possible external sources," prompting intense scrutiny of how the bodies—some potentially from outside the area—ended up secretly interred in a single site.
As forensic experts transfer the remains to the Kericho County Referral Hospital mortuary for postmortems, DNA sampling, and identification, the incident has triggered widespread outrage and hard questions about accountability in the county's burial practices. Homicide detectives are probing possible foul play, negligence by cemetery management, or links to unreported deaths, while the community grapples with the horror of such a clandestine grave in a public space. Authorities have cordoned off the area and vowed a thorough investigation to bring clarity to the families affected and prevent similar mysteries in the future.
