Malindi court authorises exhumation of suspected mass graves
Detectives submitted that survivors rescued from the area were unable to account for the whereabouts of several children, prompting suspicions of foul play
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has been granted permission to exhume bodies believed to be buried in shallow graves in the Kwa Binzaro area of Makongeni on the outskirts of Malindi town.
In her ruling, Malindi Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara directed Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor to carry out the exhumation for purposes of postmortem examinations, DNA testing, and toxicological analysis to determine the causes of death.
This came after the prosecution counsel, Judy Gachuru, informed the court that investigators suspect multiple individuals were murdered through starvation and suffocation, in what appears to be part of a broader pattern of radicalisation and organised criminal activity.
Eleven suspects, including Jairus Otieno Odere, Lilian Akinyi, Kahonzi Katana Karisa, Loice Zawadi, Safari Kenga Nzai, Karisa Gona Fondo, Gona Charo Kalama, Kahindi Kazungu Garama, Thomas Mukonwe, James Kahindi and Sharleen Temba Anido, are under investigation for alleged involvement in organised crime, radicalisation, facilitation of terrorism, and murder.
According to an affidavit filed by DCI, preliminary investigations suggest that the victims may have been starved and suffocated as a result of adopting and promoting extreme religious ideologies.
The affidavit further notes that survivors rescued from the area were unable to account for the whereabouts of several children, prompting suspicions of foul play.
“Our preliminary inquiries have so far established the existence of several suspected shallow graves where bodies were concealed,” the affidavit by a DCI investigator in court read in part.
The court was told that brief interviews conducted with rescued individuals revealed they could not reasonably explain the disappearance of the children.
The DCI requested the court to authorize forensic investigations on the exhumed bodies, including autopsies, DNA profiling, and toxicological tests to establish the cause and manner of death.
Thamara also directed the Officer Commanding Malindi Police Division and the Officer Commanding Lango Baya Police Station to provide adequate security during the exhumation process.
In addition, the Public Health Officer for Malindi was instructed to oversee health and safety measures during the exhumation and ensure the bodies are preserved and stored at Malindi Sub-County Hospital for forensic analysis.
