In a shocking discovery on Thursday, at least 33 bodies, including those of children and severed remains found in sacks, were exhumed from a mass grave in western Kenya. This grim find has sparked concerns about the possibility of these bodies being clandestinely transferred from a hospital morgue.

Authorities revealed that investigators uncovered the bodies of 25 children and eight adults, along with dismembered body parts wrapped in burlap sacks, from a burial site linked to a church in Kericho.

“Our investigation revealed that these bodies had been moved from Nyamira District Hospital to a privately owned cemetery in Kericho,” stated Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, during a press briefing.

He further mentioned that detectives are working to verify whether the removal of the bodies from the morgue adhered to legal procedures.

On Thursday, 33 bodies, including those of 25 children, were discovered in a mass grave in Kenya. (Andrew Kasuku/AP Photo)

According to The Associated Press, Kenyan legislation permits hospitals and morgues to dispose of unclaimed bodies after a 14-day period, provided they have obtained court approval.

Government pathologists conducted autopsies Thursday to determine the cause of death, though the identities of the victims have not been released.

Authorities have arrested two people in connection with the case.

Authorities have arrested two people in connection with the case. (Andrew Kasuku/AP Photo)

Local media reported the bodies were transported in a government vehicle by unidentified individuals and buried hastily, with some gravediggers later alerting police.

“We need authorities to conduct a thorough investigation,” resident Brian Kibunja said.

Another resident, Samuel Moso, said authorities should “reveal if the government was involved or if a different group of people was behind the mass burial.”

There have been three major mass-grave incidents in Kenya over the past three years. (Andrew Kasuku/AP Photo)

There have been three major mass-grave incidents in Kenya over the past three years.

Police in 2023 uncovered hundreds of bodies buried in a forest in Kenya’s coastal Kilifi region, exhuming mass graves tied to a religious leader accused of starving his followers to death.

In 2024, authorities recovered nine bodies from a dumpsite in Nairobi, the Eastern African nation’s capital.

The latest discovery comes as concerns grow among some Kenyans over alleged abuses by police.

Missing Voices, a human rights group, said it documented 125 extrajudicial killings and six enforced disappearances in Kenya over the past year, compared to 104 reported killings the year before.