Kericho mass grave: Postmortem on eight bodies shows varied causes of death

Postmortem examinations on eight more bodies discovered at a mass grave in Kericho have revealed varied causes of death, as investigations into the case continue.

The autopsies, completed on March 27, 2026, were conducted by a team of government pathologists led by Dr. Richard Njoroge, Dr. Donar Nyahunga, and Dr. Naomi Ariaga. All eight victims were male.

The causes of death differed significantly, indicating a complex sequence of events.

Two of the bodies had undetermined causes of death, while the others were attributed to pneumonia, septicemia, advanced heart disease, pulmonary thromboembolism, head injury, and a combination of choking and head trauma.

Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are working to piece together the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Authorities have not ruled out foul play in some cases.

Health officials from Kericho and Nyamira counties were present during the examinations, highlighting the sensitivity of the operation.

Meanwhile, another suspect has been arrested in connection with the case.

He joins two others already in custody.

The suspect was arraigned before a Kericho court, which granted investigators 25 days to detain him as inquiries continue.

An earlier postmortem on 25 children recovered from the grave revealed that four died from head injuries, 10 from premature birth, and two had undetermined causes of death.

Among the children, eight were male and 10 female, while the gender of the remaining seven could not be established due to severe decomposition.

“Prematurity as a cause of death, we found in 10, and then some sort of head injuries we found in 4,” said Dr. Njoroge.

He noted that the bodies were in various stages of decomposition, with only a few relatively fresh, while others were severely decomposed. Some were infants.

The first phase of the postmortem examinations focused on the 25 children, with a total of 33 bodies recovered from Makaburini Cemetery in Kericho County following the discovery of the mass graves last Saturday.