Human rights group, Haki Africa, has called on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutor (DPP) to investigate the numerous bodies found dumped in River Yala.
In a statement, the director of Haki Africa Hussein Khalid confirmed several bodies have been retrieved from the river.
Hussein said, the bodies are usually brought in a double cabin pick up and probox and on reaching the bridge, men come out of the vehicles, pick the bodies and throw them over the bridge and into the river.
´´We have also witnessed ten of unknown bodies at the Yala Sub-County Hospital Mortuary that were fished from the river. Some of the bodies were found in sacks, well sewn like parcels, ´´ he said.
According to locals, the bodies are dumped in the river by unknown persons.
Okero, a local resident, is the main person who retrieves bodies that are spotted in the river and reported that in the past six months he has retrieved 31 bodies.
Interestingly, Okero told the activists that residents usually witness as the bodies are dumped early in the morning or late in the evening, in sacks.
“If you have a missing person and you think they might be dead, check at Yala Sub-County Hospital Mortuary. Your loved one might be one of the bodies that will be disposed of soon if not claimed. Lest you forget, Kenya is a criminal state,” he said.
On 10th October 2021 alone, Okero said he retrieved 10 bodies.
‘Each of the 10 bodies were in individual sacks, and in his own words, each body was neatly packed and sealed like a parcel,” Okero said.
The lobby group raised concerns over the matter saying cases of people missing without a trace have been on the rise.
They have called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to equally intervene and ascertain whether or not there was the involvement of the police in the killings.
“We write to seek your intervention and have investigations on the above matter initiated. Kenyans need to know the identity of those killed and those behind the killings and subsequent dumping of the bodies in the river,” Hussein said.