Families who lost loved ones in the Shakahola tragedy connected to the notorious preacher Paul Mackenzie have now begun the long-awaited process of burying them after two years of terrible waiting.
On Thursday, family members who were grieving came to the Malindi Mortuary to pick up the bodies of their loved ones. This was a step towards closure after months of pain.
Families have been given at least 16 remains so far to prepare for burial, while hundreds more are still unknown.
One of them is George Okaka’s family, who got the bodies of four of his loved ones: his wife and three of his children, who were 15, 11, and 6 years old. Okaka stated he had been waiting for this moment for two years and was devastated.
“I came here in March and carried DNA samples for my wife and five kids. So far, the corpses of four people have been found: three kids and their mother. He responded, “Right now, I’m just making plans for the burial,” choking back tears.
Okaka reported that five of his kids were among those who were killed in the cult. He is still waiting for two of them to be identified.
He told how his wife became interested in Mackenzie’s teachings in 2019 while they resided in Nairobi’s Industrial Area and she worked as a casual labourer.
He moved the family to Makongeni to try to keep her away from the cult, but his efforts failed.
“I knew she had lost to Mackenzie when she was arrested. I attempted to save them in 2020, but my wife got away again. She began talking to Mackenzie’s fans in 2022. She burnt her ID and ran away at one point,” Okaka said.
He added that in 2023, his wife left their house in Kakamega with the kids to join Mackenzie’s followers in the Shakahola Forest, where they all perished.
She took the kids out of school and said they didn’t need medication. He remarked, “She finally left my house in 2023.” Okaka is now a widower. He hopes that the remains of his two other children, who are four and eight months old, will also be found.
On Thursday, three additional families found the corpses of their loved ones as mortuary workers began to get them ready for burial and shipment.
At least 60 victims have been positively identified, according to human rights organisations. However, more than 300 remains are still unclaimed.
They have asked families of missing people to come forward for DNA testing to assist in speeding up the process of finding out who they are.
DNA testing is still going on. There are still a lot of corpses here. So far, 60 have matched. “More than 300 are still unknown,” claimed a human rights campaigner.
More corpses are anticipated to be released today as more relatives come to the Malindi Mortuary to identify their loved ones.
