Two years after the Shakahola forest tragedy in Kilifi County, over 300 victims remain unburied as authorities struggle to identify them through DNA testing.

The slow pace of the process is linked to logistical challenges and the absence of family members able or willing to provide DNA samples, leaving many bodies at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital Mortuary.

Speaking at a media roundtable in Nakuru on Wednesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen highlighted the difficulties in tracing relatives of the victims.

“You will find families in Vihiga, Siaya, Kisumu, and most of them don’t know that their relatives died in Kilifi… They are not coming forward for DNA,” he said.

The Shakahola tragedy, uncovered in 2023, saw 453 bodies exhumed from shallow graves. Authorities collected 333 DNA samples, yet only 66 victims have been identified through matches or physical recognition.

The remaining victims continue to await burial.

Murkomen warned that the government may consider interring the unidentified bodies and establishing a memorial park at the site.

“The testing and concluding the matter has been complex, we want to see if we can inter the remaining parts and have a memorial centre within Shakahola,” he said.

Delays in identification have been ongoing. In March, the process was paused after the government chemist reported a shortage of testing kits and the high cost of importing them, preventing families from giving their loved ones proper burials.

Reflecting on the scale of the atrocities, Murkomen said, “They take advantage of the vastness, they hide there and commit the atrocities.” Two years after the first bodies were found, many families are still awaiting closure.

Meanwhile, the Shakahola massacre murder trial began at Mombasa High Court. Preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 co-accused face charges over the deaths of 400 people, including 191 children. The trial was briefly adjourned after prosecutors revealed new evidence.

In his opening statement, Prosecutor Alex Ndiema described the case as “not just murder but a shocking discovery of hundreds of murders,” noting that children—some only months old—were tortured and starved to death. “The accused were the primary caregivers of the children, some being their parents, others elders and even religious leaders, individuals who were supposed to protect the lives of the young ones. Instead, they took part in the deaths of these young souls,” Ndiema told the court.

One witness testified on Wednesday, with more expected to take the stand on Thursday as the trial continues.