Chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor yesterday confirmed a child was strangled at the expansive Shakahola ranch owned by controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie.

The ongoing postmortem exercise at the Malindi sub-county Hospital mortuary entered day two yesterday as 30 more bodies were examined.

As the extercise continues, details are emerging that most of the bodies exhumed were of women and children.

Oduor said  22 out of the 30 bodies examined yesterday were female while eight were male.

“Six of the bodies we examined today are children where in one of them there were signs of strangulation,” Oduor said.

The rest of the bodies he said presented with thin layer of fat, fatty liver and there was no food in the stomach, a clear sign of starvation.

“They suffered dehydration and they had very thin layer of fat meaning they lacked food and water for days,” Oduor said.

The lead pathologist said they have collected DNA samples from 27 families to help identify the bodies some which were badly decomposed.

“Most of these bodies were badly decomposed while four of them were moderately decomposed,” he said.

He said the exercise is likely to be completed this week if it proceeds with the current pace uninterrupted.

On Monday Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki had said that among the things the postmortem exercise on the 109 bodies exhumed in Shakahola forest will be seeking to unravel is whether there was harvesting of body organs.

 Kindiki indicated that the week-long postmortem exercise is intended to establish the circumstances under which the victims died.

Kindiki said that the Pathologists will also be targeting to prove the theory of organ harvesting which has been linked to the Kilifi cult, allegedly led by pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, founder of the Good News International Church.

“If any of our people have their organs missing we will tell the world, there is nothing we are hiding and we will have to find out why those organs are missing, who took them and to where,” said Kindiki.

“This is a long process of accountability.”

Addressing journalists after touring the Malindi Sub County Hospital Mortuary the CS said the postmortem will take at least one week to be completed.

He however said the DNA tests and matching of the samples of the dead and family members might take over one month as it was a technical process.

Kindiki urged member of the public to be patient as the government embarks on the process to uncover the exact truth about the harrowing Shakahola massacre.

So far he said the government has resorted to using technology to conduct the operation in the 800 acre parcel of land adding that the entire Chakama ranch now is a crime scene and the operation will go up to there.

 Kindiki said they will now be using drones and helicopters which will be deployed once the logistics arrangements are over.

“We are here to witness the commencement of a very critical stage concerning what happened to our people in Shakahola forest. I am sure everybody knows the facts around the incidents that are here today,” he said.

So far he said they have recovered 110 bodies from Shakahola adding that the exhumation was stopped temporarily due to weather.

He said they have three teams, pathologists, DCI homicide unit and forensic units for purposes of DNA and the team from government chemists that will deal with toxicology and other tests that will be required.

Kindiki said in case organs of the dead bodies are missing they will not hide the world and assured members of the public there will be nothing to hide.