Raila Odinga, the leader of the One Kenya coalition party, was denied access to the Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County on Friday. The area is currently being used for an exhumation operation, and Odinga and his entourage were allegedly prevented from viewing the shallow mass graves discovered on the site.
While the former premiere was given a brief tour of the operation's command centre, authorities maintained that the area was an active crime scene and directed Odinga's group to leave the premises.
Kilifi Woman Representative Gertrude Mwanyanje spoke out against the police's actions, saying, "You cannot do that. Humheshimu Baba? Tupande magari twende? Iishie hapa? We will not. I am a leader in Kilifi County."
Odinga also criticized the police's decision to bar members of the public from accessing the site, stating, "What has happened here has happened all over the world. You should never bar members of the public, the media and people representing humanitarian organisations to see (the grounds)."
Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki previously noted that the public and press were being denied access to the site due to the sensitivity of the exhumation process. He explained that the process was being conducted based on certain ethical and professional standards, and therefore, not everyone could participate or take images.
"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," he said.
The exhumation operation was court-ordered and has been ongoing for some time, with law enforcement agents limiting their movement on the site.
The discovery of the mass graves has raised concerns over possible human rights violations in the area, and the government has pledged to investigate the matter thoroughly. The situation has also sparked debate over the role of the public and press in such operations and the level of access they should be granted.