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Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga’s efforts to access the Shakahola mass grave site on May 5 were rendered futile after he was denied entry by the security personnel.
Raila Odinga visited the cultic residence in Kilifi county alongside other coastal leaders including Kilifi Woman Representative Gertrude Mbeyu, Malindi Member of Parliament Amina Mnyanzi, and Magarini Member of Parliament Hamisa Kombe. Odinga also questioned the decision of the government to bar the media and human rights from accessing the grounds.
The Shakahola incident has caught the world’s attention. I haven’t seen anywhere else where there have been reports of cults (and) the media is blocked. Why did the government ban the media and human rights from the ground? I don’t need anyone’s permission to get there and I had even made my visit public.”
Raila Odinga said.
Despite Raila Odinga’s efforts to access the Shakahola mass grave site, security officers declined and asked him to seek permission from the Inspector General.
Kilifi Woman Representative Gertrude Mbeyu had a bitter exchange with the security officials after they denied the opposition chief access to the grave site.
How are you talking to us at your rank? Don’t you respect Baba (Raila)? You are an officer and service provider to these people. How do you walk on him?
Said Gertrude Mbeyu.
Tell us you do not have the power to allow Baba (Raila Odinga) in and tell us whom to call. You cannot do that. You want us to go back? We board our vehicles and go? We will not do that. I am a leader in Kilifi County (and) we will not.”
Read: Four Of The 30 Bodies Exhumed From Shakahola Died As A Result Of Murder
No one is allowed in the forest, Raila was told
However, the senior assistant inspector general of police said that the Shakahola mass grave had been declared a crime scene, and no one was allowed to enter since that would interfere with the ongoing investigations.
All of us are working for the government. Those are the rules, I cannot break the rules of operating to allow anything.
Said Peter Ndung’u, assistant inspector general of police.
No one is allowed in the forest because the [investigation] process is delicate.“
Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua has taken a step to question President William Ruto’s government over hiding activities in the Shakahola mass grave in regard to their behavior of barring media from its access to the operation area.
What is the Ruto regime hiding with regard to Shakahola that may be informing this behaviour including the barring of media?”
Karua
Read: ‘State House has been converted to Shakahola annex’ – Raila
Earlier on, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki barred journalists from accessing the operation after citing that the process is done based on ethical and professional standards and that surfacing of images from the grave site is not recommended.
The process of exhuming the bodies is a court-ordered process; It is done based on certain ethical and professional standards, that’s why we cannot allow everybody to take part in the exhumation, or to take images.
Kindiki remarked.
Such images are limited even by international law because they constitute outrageous crimes against human duty. These are the bodies of people’s loved ones and kin and so there is a limit even in terms of what security agents can do.”
[…] Read: Reasons Why Raila Was Denied Entry To Shakahola […]