Kaya elders in Kilifi might have to wait longer to perform their cleansing activities in Shakahola Forest.
A report by the Senate Ad Hoc Committee said that Kaya elders had planned to assemble in Shakahola to hold traditional prayers and cleanse the area.
However, the Kilifi county assembly committee informed the Committee led by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana that the elders would not access the forest.
This is because for the cleansing to take place, the elders have to enter the forest which has been declared as a restricted area.
"The challenge encountered by the Kaya elders was that the cleansing is required to be performed inside the forest which they cannot access due to its status as a restricted area," the report shows.
The Kilifi County Security Committee in a meeting held on May 19 informed the committee that the media and other persons were barred from the scene of crime to contain information and also preserve the sanctity of the bodies exhumed.
It said it was important to establish security boundaries to control movements in and out of the forest and create cut lines for ease of access in the forest area by security personnel.
“In its view, there was a need to manage public expectations on the time taken to identify their loved ones since there were no timelines on the possible completion of the exercise,” the report says.
The government in June had announced plans to hold an interdenominational prayer service in Shakahola Forest to give the public an opportunity to mourn those who died in the massacre.
A statement released by the Interior Ministry and attributed to Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki did not, however, say when the prayers will be held.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on their part wants the Interior Ministry to facilitate the survivors to regain their vital documents.
Their national identity cards, birth certificates, title deeds, academic certificates and marriage certificates were destroyed as a result of the indoctrination.
The lack of the said documents has made the identification process of the survivors difficult as some of the survivors were giving false information to rescue teams.
“It was also difficult for family members to trace the victims as they had acquired new names, and did not have identification documents since they had disposed of them,” it notes.
According to submissions by the Red Cross, of the 613 persons reported missing as of May 19, only 18 had been reunited with their families.
The major reason for this was the change in names of the survivors while some would deny being together with their children in Shakahola Forest.
The Ad Hoc committee was established on April, 27 and was tasked with among others investigating the circumstances leading to the death of the followers of the Good News International Church led by Mackenzie in Shakahola village in Kilifi county.