Kilifi Governor Mung’aro threatens to dump Shakahola bodies in Nairobi

The County government of Kilifi has threatened to dump hundreds of the Shakahola bodies at the Malindi Sub-county Hospital at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.

Governor Gideon Mung’aro issued a one-week ultimatum to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to remove the bodies, and failure he would pull the containers with a truck to Nairobi.

He said the corpses were a public nuisance on account of the foul smell from the containers holding them and inconveniencing the county from implementing any development at the facility.

Gov Mung’aro says his efforts to reach Prof Kindiki have proved futile even after promises that the national government would reimburse the county government money it uses to pay for electricity [to light the facility and keep the coolers operational].

A total of 429 Shakahola bodies have been preserved in two containers at the Kilifi facility for over one year now.

The Governor was speaking Dagamra in Garashi ward during a visit by the Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura and Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa to distribute relief food and bedding to victims of devastating floods.

“I have a message to you Isaac Mwaura and Aisha Jumwa to Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kindiki, because you are here on behalf of the national government. In the past year, we lost many people in the Shakahola massacre, and I have two containers at the Malindi Sub-county hospital with 429 bodies.

“Recently the national government announced it would release the bodies to the respective family members, but only six bodies were picked,” he said.

Mr Mung’aro said despite the Malindi sub-county hospital boasting new equipment and beds and renovated female and children wards to provide excellent health services, the odour from the discomposed bodies was affecting patients.

“By Monday next week… I will haul the containers to Nairobi for the national government to preserve the bodies there because we have already borne the foul smell for one year,” he pledged.

 “I have used Sh36 million meant for the people of Kilifi to pay electricity bills for the Shakahola bodies in the containers and bought stuff for workers at the two containers, yet this is a national government matter,” Gov Mung’aro lamented.

He added that there was no budgetary allocation for the Shakahola bodies and therefore he could not account to the auditors on utilisation of money meant for the people of Kilifi.

“I pay Sh2.9 million monthly for people whose origin I do not know. I have pleaded for help from Nairobi, through the Mombasa Regional coordinator who promised that I would get help in vain,” he said.

He added that the County Government has put out a Sh150 million tender to construct an accident and emergency wing to expand the sub-county hospital, all the more reason the bodies should be removed from the site.

During his visit to Kilifi on March 27, Prof Kindiki acknowledged the crucial role the County Government of Kilifi was playing and expressed his gratitude for preserving the bodies and waiving the mortuary charges.

The Interior CS promised that the government would support the devolved unit by paying off the electricity bills.

“We are very grateful to the county government of Kilifi who have sacrificially supported our law enforcement agencies, the investigating team, and the prosecution team by preserving those bodies for more than a year now.

“We are very grateful to the governor and the Kilifi County government for going out of their way to contribute to this national matter even when it is beyond their mandate,” he said.

He said the government had started releasing the bodies to the families.