Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has issued a stern ultimatum, threatening to relocate the containers housing the bodies of the Shakahola massacre victims to Kenyatta National Hospital if swift action is not taken by the government to address the situation. Speaking from Dagamra, Magarini sub-county, Mung’aro highlighted the strain faced by Malindi Sub-County Hospital’s morgue, which currently holds over 400 bodies, rendering it incapable of sustaining the preservation costs.
Expressing urgency, Mung’aro directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to oversee the removal of the bodies by the upcoming Monday. Failure to comply would result in authorization for the bodies to be disposed of at KNH. Mung’aro emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “I have a message to the government, especially Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki. At the Malindi Hospital, I have two containers holding 429 Shakahola bodies but they just took away a few bodies only.”
Concerns were raised regarding the detrimental impact of the foul odor emitted by the corpses on the hospital’s operations and the hindrance it posed to the implementation of the county’s healthcare initiatives. Mung’aro lamented, “Those who have been visiting Malindi Sub-County Hospital must have realized there is a foul smell coming from the mobile mortuary. I have constructed nice wards in the hospital, but the foul smell comes from the containers preserving the Shakahola bodies.”
Moreover, the presence of the containers obstructed plans for constructing essential hospital facilities, such as an emergency and outpatient wing. Mung’aro revealed that a tender worth Ksh.150 million had been floated for the construction, but progress was impeded due to the containers’ presence.
The essay also shed light on the painstaking process of identifying the victims, with only 35 out of 429 bodies conclusively identified. Families of the deceased continue to endure the wait to lay their loved ones to rest, as government officials attribute the delays to extensive procedures involving exhumation, post-mortem examinations, and identification.
Televangelist Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church and his associates face multiple charges in courts in Mombasa and Malindi in connection with the deaths of the 429 members of the cult.
