Lamu victims face health risks, food crisis as State appeals for donations

Elderly women and children camp at Kitale in Lamu County after they fled their homes on Monday night following the attacks that have left more than 60 people dead in Mpeketoni.  [PHOTO: PAUL GITAU/STANDARD]

Lamu, Kenya: A humanitarian and medical crisis is unfolding in Mpeketoni where 37 decomposing bodies lie unclaimed at a temporary morgue with displaced victims of Sunday’s and Monday’s attacks spending a second day in the cold, without security, water and food.

The exodus from Mpeketoni towards Lamu and Mombasa which began on Wednesday continued at a reduced pace yesterday as bus firms reported that, mainly women and children were being ferried out of the war-torn town with men remaining behind.

And the Kenya Red Cross reported that two bodies of two men were retrieved from bushes in Pangani village outside Mpeketoni Thursday. These are the bodies of two people pulled from one of the vans hijacked by gunmen near Pangani at around 7pm on Sunday who allegedly used it to transport weapons and killers into Mpeketoni, an hour later.

Kenya Red Cross (KRC) Disaster Manager for Coast region Michael Aiyabei told The Standard their search teams and police stumbled upon the decomposing corpses at Pangani yesterday and took them to the already crowded morgue at Mpeketoni sub-district hospital.

“We have recovered the two bodies of the driver and his brother and they are in bad shape,” Aiyabei said as he headed to the displacement camps, which he acknowledged to be running low on basic services.

And Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru and KRC Secretary General Abbas Gullet announced a partnership that would see the reconstruction of Mpeketoni residents’ lives through humanitarian assistance.

Waiguru revealed that her ministry would deploy 105 National Youth Service (NYS) personnel to begin the reconstruction of physical and economic infrastructure in the region.

“Our partnership with the Kenya Red Cross underscores our approach to humanitarian crisis which has been that of partnership and solidarity. We are conscious that the people of Mpeketoni are wounded both physically and psychologically. The trauma and pain will require more long term measures.”

Make contributions

She appealed to well-wishing Kenyans to donate building materials including cement, sand, stones and roofing materials among others that will be used in the reconstruction process.

Gullet said the generosity expressed by Kenyans during the Kenyans for Kenyans initiative in 2011 and the Westgate attack last year should be demonstrated once again.

“The sooner we reconstruct the community the better. Whatever small contribution one offers will go a long way in helping Mpeketoni victims,” Gullet said.

Kenyans, he said, would be informed on the channel they would use to make their contributions once they reach an agreement with mobile service providers

Thursday security agencies acknowledged that teams were yet to be deployed to protect thousands of displaced victims in two camps in Kitale, 20 kilometres south of Mpeketoni town, as medical authorities reported that 37 bodies, including that of the only woman killed in the violence, remain uncollected and are decomposing fast in the coastal region’s torrid temperatures.

The camps were created on the orders of Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku on Monday who urged residents of Maporomoko, Mavuno and other villages attacked on Monday to move to the camps for safety, promising police protection.

The stench of decomposing bodies was growing stronger by the day around the morgue and hospital vicinity, where white tents have been converted into a temporary stores for the corpses. Reports show that morticians have been brought from Lamu and Malindi government hospitals to support overwhelmed mortuary staff at the local hospital.

Lamu County Director of Medical Services Dr David Mulewa told The Standard yesterday that the Mpeketoni  sub-district hospital mortuary has a capacity for six bodies and was overstretched when  58 corpses were brought in after the two sets of attacks. “Twenty one bodies had been taken away by Wednesday,” Dr Mulewa said and added that 37 bodies are still in the mortuary.  Apparently the doctor did not include the two new corpses in his tally.

The Standard learnt that the corpses were decomposing fast but Dr Mulewa said the mortuary staff was striving to preserve them. He also said a victim he did not name from the violence is still in the hospital with a gunshot injury on the right shoulder. Two others are admitted at King Fahd Hospital, one with a leg fracture from a bullet injury and another hit in the head with a blunt object. They were not identified.

The Standard also learnt that most bodies have not been collected due to lack of funds for funeral, burial and transport. Besides most of the kin of the deceased are yet to arrive from upcountry as a majority those killed were long distance drivers, migrant workers and visitors on short holiday.

Still missing

Lamu County Commissioner Stephen Iuka announced in Mpeketoni town Thursday that Sh50,000 was given to each of the bereaved families for funeral expenses. Ikua was spared in the interdiction of security officers in the local county security committee.

On Wednesday, Aiyabei disclosed that five people are still missing and a search is for them is ongoing. He said that about 4,500 people were displaced and living in the camps. Independent reports showed that the number had risen to about 6,000 following new arrivals on Wednesday.

Aiyabei disclosed that the IDPs are living perilously.

“They have spent two nights in the cold without food, shelter and water,” according to Aiyabei who said the KRC had completed a survey of needs to mobilize resources and supplies.

And Ikua claimed he was not aware that police forces were yet to be deployed to protect the IDP camps.

“As far as I am concerned police have been deployed there because orders were given. If orders were not followed someone will be held to account,” said Ikua.

 The IDPs say the camps are in an open and flat place easy to attack and also close to impenetrable forests where Monday’s  alleged gunmen fled to with hostages they later killed.

Ethnic Bajuni families from Mkunumbi village are fleeing to Lamu out of fear. Many shops in Mpeketoni remain closed.

—Additional reporting by Faith Rono