Anti-tax protests: More mutilated bodies discovered at Kenyan dumpsite

By: Manoah Kikekon

Photo Credit CBS

On Saturday, more "mutilated" bodies were recovered from Kware in Nairobi's Mukuru kwa Njenga, as the search entered its second day, following the grim discovery of eight bodies wrapped in sacks at the same dumpsite on Friday.

In a tweet on Saturday, the Kenya Human Rights Commission confirmed the discovery of more mutilated bodies: "More mutilated bodies have been recovered from a quarry pit in Mukuru, Embakasi South." 

The bodies were discovered following reports of abductions and enforced disappearances during Kenya's anti-tax protests, which have lasted three weeks. 

Over 40 people have been killed as a result of the protests, which saw police clash with demonstrators. 

Eight remains were discovered yesterday, the committee stated. In order to ascertain the cause of death and apprehend the offenders, security personnel must refrain from tampering with the bodies and protect the evidence.

CNN correspondent Larry Madowo, who is based in Kenya, tweeted, "NEW: 5 more bodies in sacks have been pulled out of Kware in Nairobi's Mukuru kwa Njenga," accompanied with video of the rescue, even though the commission did not specify the number of deaths found on Saturday. 

There have been thirteen mangled, rotting remains found at the same dumpsite in the last two days.

In a joint statement with other civil society organisations, Amnesty International Kenya has demanded a comprehensive inquiry to determine the cause of death of the remains that have been recovered. 

President William Ruto responded to the incident on Saturday by saying, "Nine bodies were found in Kware in Nairobi, and the majority of them are girls." The police and other relevant authorities have my order to speed the investigations. 

The Department of Criminal Investigation of the Kenyan police said on Friday that the bodies that had been found had been severely disfigured, adding that "preliminary investigations suggest a similar mode of killing for the deceased." The bodies have been moved to the City Mortuary, where postmortem analyses are pending. 

This discovery comes two days after demonstrators stormed the Kenyan Parliament, killing Denzel Omondi, a third-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, who was discovered dead in a Juja marsh. 

President Ruto had previously denied that there had been any massacres or kidnappings during the protests, but the most recent events have called into question this official story and heightened calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murders at Mukuru's quarry. 

Kenyans' fury over the bodies' discovery has returned, prompting calls for more rallies and demands that those responsible for the deaths and the decomposing bodies recovered at Mukuru be held accountable.

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(People Gazette)