ABOUT 32 bodies, mostly infants, have been discovered in a mass grave in the western Kenyan town of Kericho on Tuesday.

The bodies were dug up by Kenyan authorities after a court order to retrieve what were initially thought to be 14 bodies at the site.

Government pathologist Richard Njoroge said on Tuesday evening that what they found was “quite unusual” with bodies “stacked” in the grave.

A post-mortem examination was set to begin today amid calls to quickly identify the bodies and investigate the circumstances of the deaths.

Mr Njoroge said the authorities had recovered the bodies of “seven adults and 25 children,” with the children being infants and foetuses.

A number of other body parts were also retrieved.

Mr Njoroge added that some of the bodies appeared to have originated from hospitals and mortuaries but he would be able to provide more information after the post-mortem investigations.

He said the adult remains were highly decomposed, with those of the children less so, which he said indicated that they died and therefore were buried at different times.

It remains unclear how the bodies came to be buried at the site, which belongs to the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).

An official of the organisation told the local Daily Nation news website that the burial was conducted without their approval and caught NCCK officials by surprise.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations had earlier said it was investigating whether there was any criminal activity besides the reported irregularities in the burial process.

But two suspects, a public health officer from Nyamira and a cemetery caretaker, have reportedly already been arrested with others being questioned.

Human rights group Vocal Africa said: “With reports of mutilation and dismemberment among the remains, the discovery points to a level of violence that demands immediate, transparent investigation and national accountability.”