The autopsy report on the 25 children whose bodies were exhumed from Makaburini cemetery in Kericho County has been released, pointing out the cause of their deaths.
On Thursday March 27, the the lead government pathologist Dr. Richard Njoroge conducted the autopsy and revealed that Ten cases endured premature complications while four suffered head injuries and the eleven could not be accounted for due to the advance level of decomposition.
The children were among the Seven adults, four legs and two hands
Kericho, exhumed from the mass grave on March 24, 2026 following a court ordered to investigate into suspected irregular burials.
All these happened, after the street boys tasked to dig a mass grave, reported to the authorities that three unidentified men in a motor vehicle arrived at the cemetery and held a lengthy discussion with the caretaker.
The following morning, on March 20, 2026 the same individuals returned at approximately 6:00 a.m. in a white Toyota Land Cruiser.
They hired the two street boys to dig an unusually “large grave” before dumping bodies packed in body bags some of which were mutilated into the single mass grave.
The diggers were then tasked with covering the grave. Suspicious of the secretive “large burial,” the boys reported the matter to the Kericho Police Station on Saturday, March 21, leading to the investigations.
The homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) obtained a court order.
The operation, initially aimed at recovering around 14 bodies, uncovered a larger number of remains stacked in gunny sacks.
According to Dr. Njoroge, the exhumed children comprised the neonates, fetuses, and infants and 7–8 adults. The children’s bodies exhibited varying degrees of decomposition. Some neonates appeared relatively fresh, while many others were in advanced stages of decomposing.
Adult remains were generally more decomposed, indicating that the deaths occurred over different periods. Several bodies appeared to have originated from hospitals or mortuaries, though this will be confirmed through further investigations.
Autopsy Findings on the 25 Children
Post-mortem examinations on the children’s bodies were conducted at the Kericho County Referral Hospital mortuary.
“Ten children died as a result of complications associated with prematurity, four children sustained fatal head injuries. The causes of death for the remaining children could not be fully established in all instances due to advanced decomposition of some remains.
Gender determination revealed ten females, eight males, and 7 cases where decomposition prevented immediate identification of sex.” Dr. Njoroge revealed.
Autopsies on the adult bodies and the six dismembered body parts is expected to be conducted today Friday, March 27, 2026.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has expressed concern that only 13 of the bodies had proper court clearance for burial, while approximately 20 appeared to be undocumented and lacked standard procedural authorization.
The DCI’s Homicide team is leading the multi-agency investigation, which includes DNA sampling for identification purposes, toxicology analysis, and a review of burial documentation.
Public attention has centered on the significant proportion of child remains and potential breaches of legal and procedural requirements for death registration and burial permits.
Authorities, including the DCI and government pathologists, are expected to provide further official briefings on who they are.
