The alleged 14 bodies buried in a mass grave at Makaburini Cemetery in Kericho Town are set for exhumation today.
DCI Homicide detectives secured a court order to begin the process, even as it emerged that the bodies were reportedly transferred from Nyamira District Referral Hospital after remaining unclaimed at the morgue.
Preliminary findings do not point to suspected criminal activity, although investigations are ongoing. The Nyamira Public Health Officer and the cemetery caretaker are being held in custody for 30 days to help with the probe.
The detectives, together with government pathologists, will exhume the bodies for post-mortem examinations and the collection of DNA and toxicology samples to determine the cause of death and enable forensic identification.
The grave was cordoned off immediately after the incident was reported, with security heightened as the exercise gets underway.
A court order issued on Monday directs that the examinations be conducted at Kericho County Referral Hospital mortuary or any other facility designated by the government pathologist, with the Kericho County Public Health Office providing safety oversight.
Additional reporting by Erick Kiplangat in Kericho
