Human rights activists and members of the public are challenging the Kenya Kwanza government to come up with measures that will put to an end the dumping of bodies along River Yala.
Speaking on September 4, 2024, outside the Siaya County Referral Hospital mortuary where they had joined family members and colleagues of a teacher whose body was found dumped in the river, Haki Kwetu officials, led by Joshua Otieno Oduor lamented that nothing has been done to stop the practice.
His sentiments were supported by Samuel Rotich whose relative, Nicholas Kipkorir Ng’etich’s body was retrieved from the river last week after going missing for 17 days.
Ng’etich, aged 29 years, was a teacher at Emalindi Girls’ High School in Kakamega County where he had worked for close to four years as an employee of the Board of Management (BOM).
According to his colleague, Cornelius Chumba, the deceased left his home in Kuresoi South for his work station on August 10, 2024 but apparently did not return to his house.
Chumba said that a search in the compound he resided led to the recovery of some of his belongings such as the phone, wallet and bag that he had carried from home.
He said that they were forced to put notices on several social media platforms to ask anybody who could have seen him anywhere to notify his family or the school.
The 17-day search ended when they went to Siaya County referral hospital mortuary after seeing a video of a body being retrieved from River Yala on a social media platform.
Chumba, who joined the family members and human rights activists in witnessing the post mortem on the body, said the results were clear that the deceased did not die through drowning but was killed somewhere and the body dumped into the river.
His sentiments were supported by Haki Kwetu’s Joshua Otieno Oduor who said that the body had visible injuries and the ears were cut.
“The head also had a visible injury, a sign that he was tortured,” said Oduor who called on the police to get to the bottom of the matter and bring the killers to book.
