Bodies found in River Yala now 30 as three more retrieved
Villagers stare at an unidentified body that was discovered in River Yala, Siaya County on January 20, 2022.
Three more bodies have been retrieved from River Yala near the same spot 27 other bodies were found dumped near the Ndanu falls, three months ago.
Gem Sub-county police commander Charles Chacha said the bodies were found stuck on the rocky parts of the river.
“We suspect the bodies have been swept from upstream by the flooded river because of the heavy rains reported in the highlands,” said Mr Chacha.
The police chief said police and local divers had a difficult time trying to retrieve the bodies from the slippery rocks in the flooded river.
A local diver, Nicholas Okero, who has been helping in retrieving the bodies has been unavailable to offer the services for close to a month.
The number of the bodies retrieved from the river has increased to 30.
The bodies retrieved have been taken to the Yala Sub-County mortuary awaiting autopsy.
Families with missing relatives have been visiting Yala mortuary to have their samples collected for DNA tests to match with those from the retrieved bodies.
Siaya County health executive Dismas Wakla said 13 bodies had been identified and collected by the family members for burial.
Among the bodies that were identified was that of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) senior officer Isaac Oyaro who worked at Marsabit.
His family members said Mr Oyaro was abducted by people who introduced themselves as police officers while he was on his way home.
The bodies, which were lying at the Yala mortuary had been marked as those of unknown persons.
Police Spokesman Bruno Shioso visited the scene in January and promised that a team sent in by the DCI would conduct forensic investigations and help in the identification of the bodies and the cause of death.
This is after residents reported that they had spotted two vehicles, a black double cabin and a white Toyota Probox, which they suspect could been used to transport the bodies to be dumped in 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 Mr Okero.
