Consequently, Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo now wants family members who have reported missing persons linked to the mall terror attack to go for DNA profiling at the City Mortuary to help with efforts to identify the mutilated bodies.
The body parts, which police said account for nine bodies, were found entombed in the crashed boulders in the mall by security and forensic experts combing the rubble for clues that could lead them into determining individuals behind the tragedy that left at least 67 people dead.
Police could not confirm if any of the bodies belong to the terrorists, as intense forensic tests will have to be conducted first. It had earlier been announced that 39 people were still missing, while five terrorists were said to have been killed. “The Inspector General of Police is requesting close blood relatives of missing persons from the Westgate incident to report to City Mortuary at 9am today (Wednesday) for DNA profiling,” Kimaiyo said.
An unknown number of bodies were feared to be still trapped underneath the concrete debris according to a some investigators involved in the forensic probe. And while announcing his government’s decision to form a commission of inquiry, President Kenyatta stood his ground that no amount of intimidation would make Kenya pull her troops from Somalia prematurely.
He said the commission will be tasked with identifying any possible lapses and how they can be avoided in such an incident in future, as he spoke of the need to keep the country peaceful and united despite threats of such nature. But even as he prepares to constitute a commission of inquiry, President Kenyatta categorically stated the Government would continue to defend the nation relentlessly, saying Kenya would not shy away from undertaking its international obligation to keep peace and that KDF troops would remain in Somalia until the Horn of Africa nation puts its house in order.
The President criticised the alleged reasons al-Shabaab cited as an excuse to hit Kenya. He reminded them that for over 20 years, all that Kenya had done was offer refuge to their people, who have had to flee the war-torn country and, consequently, this has resulted in the biggest refugee camp in the world. The President urged Kenyans to remain vigilant, saying it was not humanly possible for the security agents to be at all places at the same time.
“I will set up a commission of inquiry to see where there were lapses and how we can strengthen them in future. We will defend our nation and we must also learn to be our brother’s keeper,” said Kenyatta. “They had enough of killing themselves and decided to come and interfere with our country, kidnapping people.
No amount of intimidation will make us pullout of Somalia, we will stay there until their house is in order, something they should have done 20 years ago,” added a tough-talking Kenyatta. He spoke yesterday at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), when he presided over a national prayer day organised by Inter-Religious Council of Kenya.
Over 20 inter-denominational leaders took part in the prayer service that lasted for almost four hours and prayed for different issues, including national reconciliation, affected families, the indomitable spirit of Kenyans, security agents and for the well-being of the country, among other issues.
The function was also attended by leaders from across the political divide, including deputy President William Ruto, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka. The President noted: “Whereas security is the role of Government, it is also the responsibility of every Kenyan. Just as we have succeeded before in resisting these terrorists, we shall do it again and the best way is by staying together,” said Kenyatta.
On his part, Raila said the tragedy should serve as a lesson and called for a more keen eye by the security system. In particular, Raila called for a more robust system of intelligence gathering as well as putting in place a more comprehensive border security. “We must change the manner in which we act on intelligence information given to us.
This attack shows that we are in for a long battle, but we must not give up, this is the time to show how united the world is against terrorism and countries should not be issuing travel advisories,” stated Raila, referring to then week- end travel advisory issued against Kenya by the United States. And as the probe into the mall attack continues, a joint Parliamentary Committee on defence and National Security began its probe with the disclosure of major plans to overhaul the security structures.
This comes in the wake of an inter-agency blame game over the manner in which the operation was conducted and questions to whether the speedy deployment of the military derailed the operation. The committees intend to summon all top security heads involved to explain the role they played and how. The committees have also recommended the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp for allegedly serving as training ground for terrorists. - By IRENE GITHINJI and KINYURU MUNUHE - The People
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