Chiromo a beehive of activity as families endure tedious search for their loved ones

Chiromo Mortuary was in a sombre mood for the second day yesterday as families of the DusitD2 Hotel attack victims sought to identify the bodies of their loved ones.

The relatives were not just bogged down by the heavy weight of their loss, but also the long wait they had to endure to identify the bodies. This was occasioned by the postmortem procedures carried out by chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor.

“It will take some time to finish the work of reconstructing some of the bodies, which are in bad shape,” a pathologist said.

They only allowed viewing and identification of bodies in good shape. The pathologists continued working on the others — some of which had missing body parts.

“We’ve been here since 6am in the morning waiting to see our brother who died in the attack. All we have been told is that we must wait for the body to be prepared before we are allowed to see it. They say it is in bad shape,” a member of a bereaved family said.

Sources said some of the bodies collected from DustiD2 complex after the deadly attack on Tuesday were badly deformed. Dismembered parts had to be matched. Some require DNA analysis.

Several teams, including the Red Cross, government counsellors and religious outfits, volunteered psycho-social support to those overwhelmed. Refreshments were offered to the families and relatives.

Zacharia Amusala, 76, had travelled from Shinyalu, Kakamega county, to view the body of his son who perished at the hands of the extremists.

“He is just lying dead there. There is nothing we can do,” he told the Star outside the mortuary after viewing the body. “We have lost him but he has left behind a young family.”

The son, Deidrick Lumisi, was a security guard at the DustiD2.

Lumisi’s firstborn joined university last year. The second one is in Form 4, the third will sit the KCPE exam this year, while the last born is in Standard 6.

“He was our bread winner. Our future is ruined,” Amusula said.

By yesterday, some families had yet to know whether their loved ones were survived or died. They checked randomly.

The family of Erickson Momanyi, 35, said they had been to Kenyatta National Hospital to check if he was admitted. Momanyi was a waiter in one of the restaurants at the complex. They finally found his body.

Read: Four staff of DusitD2 died in terror attack, three seriously injured

“We have been calling his phone but it rings with no answer. Out of apprehension, we’ve been searching and finally resorted to this mortuary,” his brother-in-law Robert Ochoa said. “I’ve had to mobilise the mother, my sister and the rest of the family to be here.”

As families arrived, counsellors put them on a debriefing procedure to manage their emotion. It is after this that they were being screened and allowed to view the bodies upon completion of the postmortem.

Momanyi’s sister caused a stir at the facility when she could not be restrained upon viewing the body.She ran to the Riverside Drive at the front of the mortuary shouting that she wanted to be hit by a vehicle and also die.

The counsellors managed to contain the family, including their mother Esther.

The family of Jeremiah Mbari, 30, from Nyahururu went through a pretty much similar experience, having started with a search at KNH.

His wife stood pensively. She was accompanied by members of Prophet Owuor’s Repentance and Holiness Ministry.

A member of the church told the Star they had waited since morning and by 11am, they were yet to identify their church-mate.

The family of Dedrick Indiasi from Shinyalu, Kakamega, had identified his body by midday, but had to wait from the morning. Indiasi was in his 40s. His 76-year-old father said his son was the one in-charge of the security control room at the attacked facility.

A member of yet another family searching for their brother who was still missing said they started the search on Tuesday.

“Bodies were put on the ground and blood was all over. My shoes and clothes were soaking. I could not find my brother. I was shown a body that was badly disfigured. I checked the ears. They say we have close resemblance, but I’m not sure it is him,” he said.

See: Last 19 missing after Dusit attack now accounted for - Red Cross