Govt unable to identify Garissa victim’s body as fingerprints not on Kenyan records

KDF soldiers outside the entrance to Garissa University College on April 3, 2015, after a terrorist attack in which 148 people were killed. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• The body is being kept at the Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi as the government tries to find out its identity,
• The government also said it doesn't know the whereabouts of one student, Risper Mutindi Kasyoka, who has not been found since the deadly attack on April 2.
• The committee invited the CS to inform them on what the government was doing to find the student.

By JEREMIAH KIPLANG'AT
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The fingerprints of an unclaimed body from the Garissa University College terrorist attack have failed to match any of the registered 30 million Kenyans.

The government on Tuesday said it was unable to identify one body that has remained unclaimed at the Chiromo mortuary for more than two months.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery told MPs on Tuesday that his ministry was doing its best to find out who the individual was despite the body’s fingerprints failing to match any those stored by the government.

The government also said it doesn't know the whereabouts of one student, Risper Mutindi Kasyoka, who has not been found since the deadly attack on the university on April 2.

“We have tried to match the fingerprints of the body but they do no match (any) of the 30 million Kenyans we have in our records. We are (working to identify) the body,” said Mr Nkaissery.

The body is being kept at the Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi as the government tries to find out its identity, about 74 days after the Al-Shabaab attack that killed 148 people, most of them students.

The CS, who appeared before the National Assembly's Committee on Administration and National Security chaired by Tiaty MP Asman Kamama, was put to task to explain what it was doing to find out the whereabouts of the missing student, who was said to have been at the university during the attack.

ACTING CASUALLY

MPs accused the government of acting casually and not putting enough resources into seraching for Risper, a second-year business management student at the ill-fated university. Her father was present during the committee sitting at County Hall, Nairobi.

Kitui East MP Marcus Muluvi said it was traumatising for the family and friends of Risper to continue living without knowing where she was.

“It is extremely unfortunate that the government has treated this matter so casually without considering the feelings of her family members. This is unacceptable and we want the government to continue informing them of the efforts to find her,” said Mr Muluvi.

Mr Nkaissery urged the family to be patient as it continued looking for the student, saying the government was using its resources to find her.

DECLARE HER DEAD

“It is really offensive that we are not appreciated when we are doing our best to find her. We are also trying to identify the remaining body. We will only declare her dead after seven years,” said the CS.

The committee invited the CS to inform them about what the government was doing to find the student.

The members questioned the government’s commitment to putting the matter to rest, saying two months was long enough to get adequate leads to find the student.

“Does this body belong to a Kenyan or a foreigner? Where was it retrieved from? It is interesting that it does not match (any of) the registered Kenyans,” said Mbeere North MP Muriuki Njagagua.

The legislators also asked the ministry to follow up with the parents of all those who were killed during the dawn attack at the university.

Embu MP Rose Mitaru said it was not enough to give the families a financial package and forget about them.

“The ministry should organise follow-up counselling for the families. Trauma is not something you can deal with in one day. These people need a lot of support,” said Ms Mitaru.