Kware body retriever reveals passion for the dead inspired his trade

Kyalo Wambua ,27 has been the man leading the retrieval of bodies from Nairobi’s Kware dumpsite.

He says he is driven by his love for the dead.

Wambua retrieved bodies from the dumpsite even before the recent killings.

“Some of the bodies I have retrieved are of people who have committed suicide by throwing themselves in the dumpsite. The only difference this time round is that I have been covered in the media,” he told the Star.

Wambua said from last week, since the pile of bodies were discovered, he has retrieved 13 bodies.

“I have been doing this alone without necessary protective gears,” he said.

He trained as a plant operator in 2018 after finishing his high school education and since then, he has been surviving on menial work.

“I have not told my family members back in Makueni county that I am the one retrieving the bodies. Family members don’t have to know everything, however close they are,” he says.

Unlike many people, Wambua says he has not attached stigma to handling dead bodies.