Mandera massacre victims to be laid to rest Wednesday

Eighteen victims of the Mandera massacre who come from Nyeri County will be laid to rest Wednesday.

The bodies, which have already been moved to morgues within the county, among them Mathari Mission Hospital mortuary and Nyeri Provincial General Hospital, will first be viewed during a requiem mass to be held at the Dedan Kimathi Kamukunji grounds.

The miners were attacked and killed in cold blood by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.

Public Administration Executive Priscillah Wanyiri said the service will be held from 9am until noon, after which relatives will be handed the bodies to inter them in their respective homes.

“We have finalised the arrangements and are waiting for the bodies from Nairobi. The national government has already committed to sponsor transport for the bodies to Nyeri morgues, and also committed to extend Sh50,000 to each of the deceased families,” said Ms Wanyiri.

Already, the county government has given a Sh1.4 million contribution towards burial arrangements.

The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) has also been counselling bereaved families, with Central and Upper Eastern KRCS Co-ordinator David Kariuki saying all families have undergone the sessions.

According to officials at the City Mortuary, 16 of the 36 bodies of men killed in the Mandera quarry attack were Monday moved from Nairobi.

They said the bodies were taken to Nyeri ahead of the planned burial in the county tomorrow.

This was after postmortem conducted at the mortuary revealed three of the victims were beheaded.

Thirty-three others were shot at a close range, Government Chief Pathologist Johansen Oduor said.

At the same time, at least 100 miners who were working at various quarries in Mandera County arrived in Nyeri Monday with heartwrenching stories of their stay in the area.

The workers could not hide their enjoy after arriving in Nyeri town where they were received by Nyeri Town MP Esther Murugi and Assistant County Commissioner John Marete.

The miners travelled in buses and the military escorted their vehicles.

Mr Stanley Kibuchi, who worked at a quarry near Koromey, said some other miners are still stuck in Mandera and called on the Government to rescue them.

“We are appealing to the government to help evacuate the miners, since their lives are in danger,” said Kibuchi.