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Why the murdered Mlolongo two won't be buried soon

National

By Emmanuel Kipchumba | Feb 07, 2025

Dancan Kyalo (centre), brother to Justus Mutumwa, addresses the media outside City Mortuary, Nairobi yesterday. He is flanked by LSK President Faith Odhiambo (left) and Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo (right). [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

The families of Justus Mutumwa and Martin Mwau, two men who went missing in Mlolongo and were later found dead, will have to wait longer before burying their loved ones.

Their bodies, which were positively identified through fingerprints at the Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly City Mortuary, can only be released after DNA confirmation, according to government pathologists.

On Wednesday, government pathologist Richard Njoroge conducted post-mortems on the bodies but insisted that definitive identification through DNA testing was necessary before their release.

"We will take samples from immediate family members, including the mother and siblings. We will be very hesitant to release the bodies for the families to bury until definitive identification by DNA method is done," Njoroge said.

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This requirement means the families would have to wait longer before proceeding with burial plans, despite preparations already being underway.

According to Njoroge, the bodies were severely decomposed, making visual identification unreliable.

The first body, which the family believes is that of Mutumwa, had multiple abdominal and chest injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma.

"The body was very decomposed, but we found multiple injuries to the abdomen, chest, and head, as well as defensive wounds on the arms. It looks like there was a struggle because when you try to defend yourself you get the defensive injuries on the arms and the wrists," Njoroge explained.

The second body, believed to be Mwau's, showed signs of manual strangulation.

"It had significant head injuries and neck trauma, leading us to conclude the cause of death was manual neck compulsion," he said.

According to the pathologist, unless DNA analysis prove otherwise, the two bodies will remain labeled as 'unknown'.

"We cannot assign any name to those bodies as at now, I know the families have said they have identified the bodies but with the level of decomposition it is not possible for us, we work with science and we have to wait for the DNA results," Njoroge said.

The delay has left the families in limbo, prolonging their grief as they wait for results that could either confirm or cast doubt on the identities of their loved ones.

"We came for the post-mortem of my brother, who was abducted in December. We are still appealing to the government for justice," said Duncan Kyalo, brother to Mutumwa.

"We can positively confirm that the body belongs to our kin, but we have been told to wait for DNA results. We will wait," said Jimmy Musyoka who is Mwau's brother.

According to Kyalo, on January 30, fingerprint records had already matched government data, confirming Mutumwa’s registration.

Mwau’s body was also identified at the Nairobi Funeral Home through the same process on January 29.

Mutumwa and Mwau were allegedly abducted in Mlolongo alongside Kalani Muema and Steve Kivingo who remain missing.

Human rights activists have urged government to expedite the DNA testing and investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Hussein Khalid, executive director of Vocal Africa, who was present during the post-mortem, called for justice to the victims.

"We demand justice for the victims and their families. The government chemist must speed up the DNA process so the families can proceed with burial and find closure," Khalid said.

He also called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to take swift action and investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two.

"The killers are still out there, walking free. We cannot continue like this where people disappear and are found dead weeks later, and families struggling to locate their bodies. Something is seriously wrong with the system," he said.