Shakahola Exhumation Team Demands Fair Compensation and Counseling
The temperature in Shakahola township is approaching 27 degrees Celsius at 6 a.m., but Harry* is unconcerned.
Since one month ago, rising at dawn and preparing to travel to Shakahola forest has become routine.
He is one of the locals hired by the government to assist in exhuming bodies from the forest.
Harry divulges his firsthand experience in an exclusive interview.
“This is our first time participating in such a traumatic exhumation exercise. “We’ve never seen anything like this before,” says Harry.
Their day begins with a debriefing from Martin Nyuguto, the Homicide Director in charge of the exhumation operation.
They are then divided into three groups of ten and sent to different locations where graves have already been marked.
They are required to exhume at least 20 graves per day. He adds that forensic experts have trained them to perform the task.
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“Some areas are difficult to excavate, so we employ strategy. On other days, we reach our goal early because we discover one grave site with more than ten bodies,” explains Harry.
According to him, their daily pay of Sh1,000 is not commensurate with the work they perform. In addition, they want the government to employ them all, arguing that the team deserves well-paying positions.
“We request that any funds resulting from this endeavor be given to our chairman. This makes it easier for us to obtain the donated funds,” says another digger.
One month spent at the crime scene has proven to be traumatic for them.
“At night, I have difficulty sleeping. In my dreams, I see the bodies we have recovered during the day. Harry states, “We’d like to receive counseling after the exercise, but we’re concerned that this may not occur.”
According to him, the Red Cross offered them counseling as they conducted the exhumation, but they rejected the offer because the operation is still ongoing.
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So, how were they chosen for the position? They claim to have known the possible gravesite locations.
“We were friends with some of Mackenzie’s followers back when they frequented shopping malls, but when we received information that children were dying and being buried in the forest, we attempted to gain access to the area. Tim laments, “Unfortunately, the cult’s criminals burned down our motorcycles.”
The exhumation of eight bodies yesterday brought the total number of deaths to 235. Simultaneously, three adult females and one adult male were rescued, with one of the females in critical condition. This brings the total number of rescued individuals to 89. No arrests took place.
The Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Shakahola incident is anticipated to hold a series of meetings in the region today. The investigation is attempting to determine whether security breaches in the area led to the deaths.
Shakahola Exhumation Team Demands Fair Compensation and Counseling
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