Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has stirred controversy by threatening to take drastic measures regarding the bodies preserved from the Shakahola tragedy, announcing plans to tow the containers housing them to Kenyatta National Hospital if the national government fails to act within five days.
One year after the bodies were exhumed, the governor stated over 400 bodies are still being preserved at Malindi Subcounty Hospital.
Addressing a gathering in Dagamra, Magarini subcounty, Mung’aro expressed frustration over the prolonged preservation of the bodies, citing the financial burden and nuisance they pose to visitors.
"These containers preserving the Shakahola bodies emit a foul smell, disrupting the hospital's environment despite efforts to improve facilities," Mung’aro remarked, underscoring the strain it has placed on county resources.
Mung'aro revealed that the county has footed a staggering Ksh36 million power bill to maintain the containers, diverting funds originally allocated for local initiatives.
He lamented the lack of support from the national government despite repeated pleas for assistance.
According to Mungaro, efforts to engage high-ranking government officials, including Gender CS Aisha Jumwa and Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, to convey the urgency of the situation to President William Ruto and others have yielded no tangible solutions.
The governor announced plans to expand Malindi Hospital, designating the space now occupied by the containers for an emergency and outpatient wing, with a Ksh150 million tender already floated.
However, the presence of the containers has halted progress on the crucial project.
The Shakahola tragedy, which saw 429 bodies exhumed from the Shakahola Forest, has cast a somber shadow over the region, with only six bodies released to their families thus far.
Earlier interventions by the government, including promises to assist with power bill payments, have failed to materialise fully, leaving the county grappling with the aftermath of the tragedy.
Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor in March, addressed concerns over the fate of unclaimed bodies, indicating that the government may decide to bury the bodies in a mass grave, but the DNA profiles would be stored in case families come forward in the future.
However, he stated that current efforts are focused on identifying all the bodies and addressing any challenges, dismissing allegations of reagent shortages.
In the event of unclaimed bodies, Dr. Oduor assured that they would be buried in marked graves with their DNA profiles retained for potential future identification, ensuring a traceable process.
Human rights activists in March raised alarms over the slow identification process that has left many unclaimed bodies.
