Mombasa family seeks orders to bury slain terror suspects'

A Police van awaits to carry the bodies of killed suspected Terrorists. (PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED)

Mombasa, Kenya: Huge mounds of soil lie next to two open graves at the Manyimbo Tudor Muslim Cemetry in Mombasa County.

Spades and other digging equipment that were used in digging the graves still lie at the location more than 48 hours after the graves were dug.

The bodies of two sisters, Ramla Abdulrahman Hussein and Maimuna Abdulrahman Hussein feld by police during a botched raid at the Central Police Station ,Mombasa last Sunday were to be interred at the site on Tuesday according to Islamic rites.

A Mombasa businessman, Mr Abdulrahman Hussein has laid claim to the two bodies.

No one has come forward to lay claim to the third victim, Tasmin Yakub Abdillahi Farah .

Ramla and Maimuna who were sisters and Tasnim perished in a hail of bullets and fire  at the Central police station in Mombasa where police say they had raided to conduct a suicide mission.

The corpses have been lying at the Coast General Hospital Mortuary since Sunday and on Wednesday the businessman sought court orders for Ramla's and Maimuna's burial.

The court application sought orders for the bodies to be released to the family for burial without a postmortem examination. Most muslims object to postmortem examination of their dead kin.

A caretaker at the cemetery , Mr Mohamed Ali told The Standard yesterday that he had prepared the graves ready for burial but by yesterday now no bodies have been brought there.

'' I was later told that no burials will take place until some procedures are complete,'' he said.

A passerby, who gave his first name as Bingo said that it is not normal for graves to be dug and left uncovered for long.

'' It would be better if the graves are covered as they await the 'procedures' to be completed,'' he said.