Mwingi sub-county police commander,
Antony Mwangi, speaking at the scene in Mwingi town where four bodies were
exhumed on Tuesday/Musembi Nzengu.Police in Mwingi Central, Kitui county, have launched investigations into the discovery of a burial site in Mwingi town where four bodies were exhumed on Tuesday.
The shocking discovery of the shallow graves, from which four decomposing naked male bodies were retrieved, has sparked outrage among local leaders and residents, who are now demanding a thorough investigation by security agencies.
The condition of the bodies has raised further questions. Despite being buried in graves believed to have existed for some time, the bodies appeared largely intact, leading investigators to suspect they may have been treated with preservative chemicals such as formalin.
The bodies had also been carefully folded at the arms and legs to fit into the small, shallow graves, regardless of the victims’ height.
On Tuesday, pathologists and homicide detectives, assisted by regular police officers and members of the public, spent several hours excavating the site near Kasina Primary School along the Mwingi–Thika highway.
News of the discovery spread rapidly across Mwingi town, causing business activity to slow significantly as traders temporarily closed their shops to witness the exhumation.
Mwingi Central subcounty police commander Antony Mwangi, who oversaw the operation alongside Kitui Woman Representative Irene Kasalu, said investigations would continue to establish whether there were more graves in the area and to identify those responsible.
Mwangi praised vigilant residents whose action led to the discovery of the graves.
“A resident came here and, after observing the area, realised that something unusual was happening. Without hesitation, he alerted the police and we immediately swung into action,” Mwangi told the large crowd gathered at the scene.
He also commended residents for cooperating with security agencies in uncovering the truth.
“The truth is that we have recovered four bodies. Reports circulating on social media claiming that 20 bodies have been found are false. All the bodies recovered so far are male,” Mwangi said.
The police commander emphasised that the recovery marked only the beginning of the investigation.
“We want to establish the identities of the deceased and determine the circumstances under which they ended up here. There is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Mwangi urged families with missing relatives to come forward and report to the police, noting that no official missing persons reports linked to the recovered bodies had been filed so far.
“I want to emphasise that although we have not received reports of missing persons connected to these bodies, anyone with a missing relative should report to the police immediately,” he said.
He further appealed to members of the public to share information about suspicious individuals or activities without fear of victimisation.
“Do not shy away from sharing information because you fear being treated as a suspect. That is not the case. Give us the information and we will carry out due diligence to establish the truth,” he added.
Mwangi said police would continue combing the entire valley where the bodies were discovered to ensure no evidence was overlooked.
“We will thoroughly search this valley from one end to the other. Every inch will be examined to ensure nothing remains uncovered,” he said.
Speaking at the scene, Kasalu expressed concern over what she described as a growing trend of bodies being dumped in Mwingi town and its surrounding areas.
She noted that several bodies had been discovered in the area within a relatively short period and welcomed the deployment of a multi-agency investigative team.
“This matter must be thoroughly investigated. The people of Mwingi deserve answers regarding these disturbing discoveries,” Kasalu said.
The four bodies were taken to a local mortuary for postmortem examinations and possible identification as investigations continue.
Bodies exhumed on Tuesday in Mwingi town on Tuesday being preserved in white body bags/Musembi Nzengu.
A section of the crowd that milled around the scene where four human bodies were exhumed in Mwingi on Tuesday/Musembi Nzengu.
