Shakahola Autopsy: Pathologist reveals if internal organs were harvested

The bodies of most of the victims of the Shakahola cult had their internal organs intact, Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor said Wednesday evening.

Dr. Oduor said his team conducted autopsies on 36 bodies on Wednesday, including 16 children and 19 adults.

The pathologist said 23 of the bodies were severely decomposed while 11 were moderately decomposed. Two were mildly decomposed. They belonged to 17 males and 19 females.

The experts were unable to determine the age of one of the bodies due to its level of decomposition, Dr. Oduor added.

He said 23 of the victims died of starvation while four had asphyxia, indicating they were denied oxygen before they died.

The pathologists could not establish what caused the deaths of seven of the victims while one child had a head injury. One adult died of kidney and heart disease.

“On one of the bodies which was of a child, we found that there was trauma on the head, while three had asphyxia meaning that they had been denied oxygen. Of these three, on one of them, we clearly see marks on the neck of someone who had been strangled with the breaking of some bones,” he said.

Dr Oduor also mentioned that the relatives of the Shakahola cult victims will not be required to pay for DNA tests.

“Being that it is something that is under investigation because of justice, I don’t think any relative will be told to meet any cost,” he said.

On Wednesday, 22 families turned up to have their DNA taken bringing to 49 the total number of families who had provided samples for DNA tests since Tuesday.

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