Editor's Review

The police maintained that only 19 bodies have been retrieved from the river Yala and it is over a period of two years.

Activist Boniface Mwangi has responded to a statement by the National Police Service that indicated only 19 bodies were retrieved from River Yala within a period of two years.

In a statement on his Twitter, Mwangi questioned the police whether they had gone to the morgue to assess the situation before making their statement.

He said they visited the morgue and information obtained from the attendants is that the number of bodies retrieved from the river is as reported by the Media.

"Before the police released their statement, did they visit the Yala Mortuary? The mortuary confirms they have 21 unidentified bodies and 20 of them were retrieved from River Yala. They buried 9 people on a mass grave on 20th October 2021," he said.

Mwangi on Tuesday joined Haki Africa in a visit to the river Yala where they went to assess the situation.

The group raised concerns over the rising cases of dead bodies being retrieved from the river even as they asked DPP to hasten investigations on the matter.

{Police spokesperson Bruno Isohi Shioso. Image: Courtesy}

Mwangi's response come shortly after the National Police Service dismissed the media reports on the number of bodies retrieved from the river.

In a statement by the service spokesperson Bruno Isohi Shioso, the police maintained that only 19 bodies have been retrieved from the river Yala and it is over a period of two years.

"This number represents a cumulative body count over the stated period contrary to media reports insinuating all the incidences are a recent occurrence," the police service said.

He at the same time revealed that more officers have been dispatched to speed up the probe on the matter in the area.

"To speed up the identification of the victims and other forensic investigations, a special forensic investigations team from the DCI headquarters has been dispatched to the scene at river Yala and the Yala Sub County Level 4 hospital to assist with further investigations," he added.