Govt releases eight Kwa Binzaro victims’ bodies to families

The government on Thursday released eight bodies recovered from the Kwa Binzaro forest to four families from Migori, Homa Bay, and Busia Counties.

The remains, which had been preserved at the Malindi mortuary in Kilifi County, are among 14 bodies positively identified through DNA profiling.

Government Pathologist Dr Richard Njoroge appealed to relatives whose DNA samples had matched to claim the bodies of their kin while at the same time asking those who believe their relatives died in the massacre to provide their samples for profiling.

Dr. Njoroge noted that homicide detectives and pathologists had earlier recovered 53 bodies and 44 body parts buried in shallow graves within the forest. He urged all families whose DNA samples matched to present themselves for collection.

Of the eight bodies released, four belonged to two families in Migori, two to a family in Homa Bay, and two to a family in Busia.

Among the grieving relatives was Titus Omondi from Migori, who revealed that he lost six family members — his brother, sister-in-law, and their four children. He said the family had initially believed his brother, who was a prison officer, had been enlisted for the war in Russia or to Galana in search of farmland, only to later learn that their bodies were discovered in Kwa Binzaro Forest.

Omondi called on the government to take firm legal action against controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, accused of radicalising followers to fast to death in both Kwa Binzaro and Shakahola forests.

The release exercise was overseen by homicide detectives under Director Martin Nyuguto.

By Emmanuel Masha