'We had nothing to hide': Governor Nyaribo defends body disposal in Kericho

Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo. [File,Standard]

Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo has defended his county's decision to bury 13 unclaimed bodies in Kericho, saying officials followed proper legal procedures but acknowledged burial fees were misappropriated.

Nyaribo made the remarks amid a widening controversy after 33 bodies and six dismembered body parts were exhumed from Makaburiani Cemetery in Kericho, far more than the 13 bodies Nyamira says it sent, deepening questions about what else may have been buried at the site.

"We released an officer in the vehicle with 13 bodies fully compliant following all the laws," noted Nyaribo.

"We gave money to be paid to Kericho county, but unfortunately,, whoever was given money did not pay to the county."

The 13 unclaimed bodies were released from Nyamira County Referral Hospital and transported to Kericho for burial on March 20, 2026.

A public notice issued on February 10, 2026, had alerted the public about the unclaimed bodies, urging families to identify them within 14 days or they would be disposed of due to congestion at the mortuary.

The governor said his administration arranged for the bodies to be interred at a private cemetery in Kericho, which he described as the nearest available facility. He said the county paid Sh32,000 for the burial, but the funds were handed to a caretaker rather than the county's official office.

The irregular payment arrangement is one of several procedural failures now under scrutiny. The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Kericho said it had not been informed about the use of the cemetery, with Reverend Andrew Tum saying permission was not sought.

Kericho Governor Erick Mutai also confirmed his administration had no agreement with any neighbouring county to bury bodies locally.

Investigators recovered a photocopied court order from the cemetery caretaker's home that authorised the burial of only seven unclaimed bodies, yet 13 were interred at the site, a discrepancy that detectives are now investigating.

The controversy has also laid bare a long-standing infrastructure gap in the region. Neither Nyamira nor Kisii counties have a designated public cemetery, with the densely populated region long relying on homestead burials on shrinking parcels of ancestral land.

Nyamira, 13 years into devolution, has yet to establish its own public cemetery.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the burial was done in secret, possibly for financial gain, and that the number of bodies recovered exceeded those the court had ordered buried.

He confirmed that six people had been arrested in connection with the matter.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said it is investigating charges including burial of deceased persons without a burial permit, conspiracy to defeat justice and murder.

"We are also anxious to know where these other bodies are, whether they were in the vehicle, or where they come from to be found in the graveyard?" observed Nyaribo.

He added that his county was unaware of any irregularities and that if officials had known, they would have sought formal permission for the disposal.

"We had nothing to hide," said Nyaribo, adding that the matter was now in the hands of police and government investigators.