Chakama Chief Raymond Charo testified that while the Kwa Binzaro burials shared a few similarities with Giriama customs. [Couretsy]
A witness has told Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Wambo that victims of the Kwa Binzaro massacre were buried in a manner that sharply departed from the long-established burial traditions of Kilifi residents.
Chakama Location Chief Raymond Charo said that although the burials bore some similarities to those of the local community, mainly the Giriama sub-group of the Mijikenda, they differed significantly from the community’s customs.
The chief said he witnessed the exhumation exercise and observed that several bodies had been buried naked, without coffins, in shallow graves, a practice he described as completely inconsistent with Giriama traditions.
Charo further told the court that, according to Giriama customs, burials are conducted during the day, accompanied by prayers, with rites varying according to the deceased’s gender. The dead are also buried in coffins. “The graves were less than six feet deep. Although the locals are predominantly Giriama, the burials I witnessed did not conform to any burial practices recognised within the community,” Charo told the court.
