The body of a Nairobi trader who went missing on September 3, 2021, has been found among those recovered from River Yala.
His family, which hails from Ngurumo village, Mathira West, confirmed that their kin was found in Siaya County, six months after he disappeared from Embakasi.
John Kiruki was found dead at the river and his body was transferred for an autopsy at the Yala Sub County Hospital mortuary.
His family, who were among distraught Kenyans who visited the morgue, positively identified him and collected the body for the funeral. The DNA results also returned positive readings.
Three more bodies were positively identified, bringing the total number of bodies claimed so far to 13 out of 26 retrieved from the river.
Pathologists are still conducting DNA analysis on the remaining bodies that are yet to be identified.
Kiruki's family is among those camping at the hospital hoping to identify their missing kin. The family of a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Chief Inspector, who also went missing, identified his body from the same facility.
Francis Oyaro went missing after travelling from Marsabit to Nairobi eight months ago. His body was among the 26 retrieved from the river on diverse dates.
He went missing on August 28, 2021, when he was travelling from Marsabit to Nairobi aboard a KWS vehicle.
Oyaro's identity was confirmed after DNA results were released by pathologists who tested his remains against the DNA of his mother.
“We have found peace as a family and we thank God for this,” his family remarked.
The River Yala bodies saga was made public in January. There was a public uproar after reports emerged that 19 unidentified bodies had been retrieved from the river in a span of three months.
Using the hashtag #RiverYalaBodies, Kenyans took to social media to raise concern over the reports as they asked Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai, to investigate the matter.
