Dozens of bodies in Kenyan river remain a mystery | DW News

In Kenya, a series of grim discoveries in a river have local residents scared and authorities looking for answers. For months, dead bodies have been dumped into the River Yala. It's unclear who the people are, how they died, or who is deposing of them.

The river Yala pours into Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria. For months now, local residents have been making a gruesome find – dead bodies in various states of decomposition, that have been dumped in the river.

People say some of the bodies they have found show signs of mutilation or torture. But the local doctor says he has found nothing suspicious.

Police and activist groups are giving differing accounts of the number of dead. Rights group Amnesty International has voiced its concern and accuses authorities of down-playing the matter.

Even more bodies have been retrieved from the river this week. People hoping to find missing relatives among the dead have travelled from as far away as Mombasa on the coast.

No one knows where these bodies are coming from because this river is quite lengthy it’s about 200 kilometers long, so the bodies could be coming from even the neighboring counties.

Local police have been unable to provide answers, leaving residents in the area terrified.

An investigative team from the capital Nairobi has arrived to find out why these bodies are being dumped in the river and who is responsible. Until then, the river Yala will continue to hold the secret to this grim mystery.

DW's Felix Maringa reports from Kenya.

For more news go to

Follow DW on social media:

Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie

#Kenya #YalaRiver #CrimeMystery