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Clashing death toll accounts at
Waki probe
EA Standard
26/07/2008
By Beauttah Omanga
The Ministry of Health testified before the Waki Commission that
1,020 people died during post-election violence, contrary to the
616 victims indicated by the Police Commissioner.
Commission chairman wondered whose figures his team would rely on
recalling that various witnesses, including Internal Security PS
Francis Kimemia and civil society had floated different figures
before the commission.
While the Police Commissioner had told the same commission that
his records were the most authoritative, the Medical Services PS
Hezron Nyangito said, according to records at public hospitals and
from some private mortuaries, those who died during post-election
violence were 1,020.
Nyangito said the numbers could be higher “because we compiled the
figures from those who either died at our hospitals or were
brought for preservations at the morgues.”
He said relatives might have buried some of those killed hurriedly
before postmortem.
The PS said he was confident his report was more factual on
grounds relatives and the police were required to give a brief
history of the circumstances in which the deaths occurred.
Justice Waki directed Nyangito to furnish the commission with all
names of those he said died at Government hospitals, all those
admitted and names of those treated and discharged within a week.
Nyangito said of the 1020 deaths, his ministry carried out
postmortem on 800 bodies.
“Out of the 800 postmortems, 15 per cent of the victims died as a
result of gun shots, 49 per cent out of injuries inflicted by
sharp objects and the rest by blunt weapons,” said the witness.
Nyangito said 3,027 casualties sought treatment at Government
hospitals out of which 1,348 were admitted in the Rift Valley.
Nyangito said Nairobi recorded 136 deaths, Nyanza 118, Rift Valley
651, Western 83, Coast 32, and Central had five.
He told the commission 65 bodies were still unclaimed, with the
majority lying in an Eldoret mortuary.
He said his ministry’s property worthy Sh550 million was destroyed
during the chaos.
last witness
Nyangito said in some cases victims with injuries suffered at
camps under the watch of their relatives after they refused to
walk to nearby health centres manned by medical personnel from
different tribes
Nyangito was the last witness to testify before the commission’s
sittings in Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the Waki Commission moves to Rift Valley from next week
to collect views from witnesses on post-election violence.
Commission Chairman Justice Philip Waki said on Monday and Tuesday,
his team would be in Naivasha. They will be in Nakuru between
Wednesday and Friday.
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