(SeaPRwire) –   A minimum of 33 corpses, among them children and severed remains packed in sacks, were discovered in a mass grave in western Kenya on Thursday, prompting concerns about whether the bodies had been clandestinely transferred from a hospital morgue.

According to officials, investigators recovered the bodies of 25 minors and eight grown-ups, along with severed body parts stuffed in burlap sacks, from a mass grave located at a church-run burial ground in Kericho.

“We confirmed that these corpses were moved from Nyamira District Hospital to a private burial site in Kericho,” stated Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, speaking to journalists.

He noted that investigators are working to ascertain if the bodies were lawfully disposed of following their removal from the morgue.

The Associated Press noted that under Kenyan legislation, medical facilities and morgues can dispose of unclaimed remains after a two-week period, provided they have court approval.

State forensic specialists performed post-mortem examinations on Thursday to establish the manner of death, though officials have not yet disclosed the victims’ identities.

Two individuals have been detained by law enforcement in relation to this incident.

According to local news outlets, the corpses were moved in an official government vehicle by unknown persons and interred quickly, after which some cemetery workers notified authorities.

“Authorities must carry out a comprehensive probe,” said local resident Brian Kibunja.

Fellow resident Samuel Moso urged officials to “disclose whether the government participated in this mass burial or if another party was responsible.”

Kenya has witnessed three significant mass-grave discoveries during the last three years.

In 2023, law enforcement discovered hundreds of corpses interred in a forested area in Kenya’s coastal Kilifi area, unearthing mass graves linked to a spiritual leader alleged to have caused his followers to starve to death.

The following year, officials retrieved nine corpses from a waste disposal site in Nairobi, the capital of this East African country.

This most recent finding emerges amid mounting apprehension among certain Kenyans regarding suspected police misconduct.

The human rights organization Missing Voices reported recording 125 unlawful executions and six forced disappearances in Kenya during the previous year, up from 104 killings documented in the prior year.