By Nyang’au Araka
For more than three years, the bodies of 443 people linked to the Shakahola deaths have remained in a hospital mortuary in Malindi.
This has left a painful chapter of one of Kenya’s most shocking tragedies without a final act.
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Now, two Senate committees have demanded urgent action to end the prolonged wait and ensure the victims are finally accorded a dignified burial.
The Senate Standing Committee on Health and the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee raised the issue during a joint inspection of Malindi Sub-County Hospital as part of Senate Mashinani activities in Kilifi County.
The committees met the hospital leadership to assess staffing, infrastructure, finances and other challenges affecting service delivery, but the presence of the 443 bodies emerged as one of the most urgent matters requiring action.
The County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee delegation was led by Vice-Chairperson Beth Syengo and included William Kisang, while Health Committee Vice-Chairperson Mariam Omar was accompanied by Shakila Abdalla.
The committees were informed that investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), as well as DNA examinations on the bodies, had been completed, clearing the way for the interment process.
So far, relatives of 14 victims have been identified.
A 21-day public notice is currently running before the authorities seek a court order to allow the remaining bodies to be buried.
But the senators said the process must not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.
“Four hundred and forty-three bodies cannot remain here indefinitely. The responsible agencies must now conclude this process lawfully and with dignity, while making every reasonable effort to reach affected families before interment,” said Syengo.
For families still searching for answers about their missing relatives, the process carries an added urgency, with the senators warning that official notices alone may not be enough to reach everyone affected.
Omar called for an aggressive public communication campaign using radio, television and social media alongside the Gazette notice.
“We need to use radio, television and social media to reach families. This is a sensitive human issue, and every available communication channel should be used before the process is concluded,” she said.
Kisang said the completion of investigations and DNA testing should now pave the way for decisive action within clearly defined timelines.
“Now that the investigations and DNA process have been concluded, the remaining steps should move within clear timelines so that this painful matter can finally reach a dignified conclusion,” he said.
Abdalla, who served as Vice-Chairperson of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee that investigated the Shakahola deaths, said Parliament would continue monitoring the matter until the 443 victims were accorded a dignified conclusion.
The Shakahola deaths shocked the country in 2023 after investigators uncovered mass graves in Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County, following investigations into the activities of a religious cult.
Beyond the unresolved burials, the Senate committees also examined the wider state of healthcare at Malindi Sub-County Hospital.
They were briefed on staffing shortages, plans to operationalise an eight-bed intensive care unit by December, outstanding reimbursements from the Social Health Authority (SHA), and unresolved questions surrounding ownership of the hospital land.
The committees is insisting that the long-delayed process must reach a lawful and dignified conclusion.
