Kericho mass grave: Post-mortem reveals causes of death for 14 children

Post-mortem examinations conducted on bodies recovered from a mass grave at Makaburini Cemetery in Kericho County have revealed that four of the 25 children exhumed from the secret grave died from head injuries, while 10 were found to have died from premature birth.

After a day-long forensic exercise to unravel the mystery surrounding 33 bodies recovered from a mass grave at Makaburini Cemetery in Kericho County, investigators led by Dr Njoroge emerged with disturbing findings.

In his report, Dr Njoroge revealed that four children died from head injuries, while 10 were determined to have died from premature birth. In two cases, the cause of death could not be established.

“Prematurity as a cause of death, we found in 10, and then some sort of head injuries we found in 4,” said Njoroge.

Among the children, eight were identified as male and 10 as female, while the gender of the other seven remains undetermined due to the severe state of decomposition.

“They were in various stages of decomposition; only a few are fresh. Others were severely decomposed. In terms of age, some were infants,” he noted.

The first phase of the post-mortem examinations focused on the 25 children recovered, with autopsies on the remaining eight adult bodies scheduled for Friday, as investigations into the grim discovery gather pace.

“Tomorrow, we continue with the adults. We hope to complete the exercise tomorrow,” he added.

A total of 33 bodies were recovered following the discovery of the mass graves at the county cemetery last Saturday.