This archive report was first published on 25 June 2021.
Residents of Atella village in Rachuonyo East, Homa Bay County, are facing a health crisis after a decomposing body was left in a local river for nine days. The body, which is believed to have been moved by water from an unknown location, was first spotted on June 16.
According to local residents, the police were informed about the body, but they failed to act, leading to the locals taking matters into their own hands. They tied the body to make it easier for security officials or family members to collect and take it to a morgue, as per Luo traditions.
However, the police have yet to respond, and the body has become a health risk to the locals. The smell emanating from the body has forced residents to stop using the river, which was their main source of water for domestic use. Mercy Achieng', a resident, described the situation as 'stinking' and said that air pollution has degraded their environment.
Locals have now called on the police to remove the body from the river to prevent further pollution of the environment in the area. Rachuonyo East Sub Deputy County Commissioner Kiprotich Rop has directed the police to remove the body, citing that collecting it was delayed due to the body being found at the boundary of his Sub-county and Nyakach Sub-county in the neighbouring Kisumu county.
