Kericho mass grave: Premature births, head injuries cause of death, autopsy show

Kericho County authorities and forensic investigators have released disturbing findings from a post-mortem examination of bodies recovered from a mass grave at Makaburini Cemetery.

A day-long forensic exercise led by Dr. Njoroge examined 25 children exhumed from the grave, which was part of a total of 33 bodies discovered last Saturday.

The autopsy revealed that four children died from head injuries, while 10 died from complications related to premature birth.

In two cases, the cause of death could not be determined.

“Prematurity as a cause of death, we found in 10, and then some sort of head injuries we found in 4,” Dr. Njoroge said.

The post-mortem also determined that eight of the children were male and 10 were female, while the gender of seven remains undetermined due to advanced decomposition. “They were in various stages of decomposition; only a few are fresh. Others were severely decomposed. In terms of age, some were infants,” he noted.

Autopsies on the remaining eight adult bodies are scheduled to take place on Friday as investigations continue into the grim discovery.

The mass grave has sparked national outrage, particularly after reports emerged that only 13 of the 33 bodies had been legally cleared for burial. Official documents from the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) indicate that the 13 bodies included eight adults, one child, three fetuses, and a set of stillborn twins, as confirmed by Nyamira County Referral Hospital to the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nyamira.

However, the remaining 20 bodies—undocumented and unexplained—were reportedly buried without any court authorization. KHRC has raised concerns about procedural violations, possible criminal liability, and lack of oversight by county health authorities.

“The burial process appears to have been conducted without proper documentation, coordination, or oversight,” KHRC stated, highlighting the serious lapses that allowed the unapproved burials to occur.

As investigations continue, authorities face mounting pressure to clarify how such a breach of legal and procedural protocols could happen, and whether a wider cover-up may be involved.