- Three bodies of unknown people have been retrieved from river Yala in September.
- More than 30 bodies were found in the river in January last year
Three bodies of unknown people have been retrieved from river Yala in September.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid said residents continue to retrieve more bodies from the river.
“As recently as this month, bodies are still being collected from the river. Three this month which we are still trying to identify,” Khalid said.
The three bodies have been retrieved from River Yala near the same spot where more than 30 others were found dumped near Ndanu Falls, at the beginning of the year.
The bodies were taken to the Yala Subcounty mortuary awaiting autopsy.
“We urge this new government to address the issue of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings as a matter of urgency. The vice has been going on for too long,” Khalid said.
Police in January launched investigations to establish the mystery around bodies dumped in River Yala in Siaya county.
Residents along the river banks had raised concerns over the increasing number of unidentified bodies retrieved from the river.
Residents suspect two vehicles—a black double cabin and a white Toyota Probox—could have been used to transport the bodies to be dumped into the river.
“The two vehicles have been spotted on several occasions around Ndanu Falls, and we believe they are the vehicles that those involved in the deaths have been using to transport the bodies and dump them in the river,” said Okite Okero, a body retriever in Yala.
Human rights activists on a fact-finding mission claimed to have made a shocking discovery of bodies floating in sacks while others had their heads covered in polythene bags.
Police spokesman Bruno Shioso visited the scene in January before a team from the DCI was sent to conduct forensic investigations and help in the identification of the bodies and the cause of death.
Police confirmed that since January last year, 20 bodies had been retrieved from River Yala.
"We suspect the victims are killed elsewhere and bodies dumped here," Yala OCPD Charles Chacha said on phone.
"The bodies are chocking the small morgue with a capacity of 17 bodies at Yala subcounty hospital and should be disposed of," he said.
-Edited by SKanyara