Kilifi: 5 More Bodies Exhumed from Kwa Binzaro Village as Detectives Warn of More Findings
- Detectives unearthed five more bodies and several body parts from shallow graves in Kwa Binzaro, reviving memories of Shakahola
- Pathologists confirmed that at least 27 graves were marked, with only six opened by the close of day one
- Investigators uncovered a secret meeting site and structures believed to have been used as "dying rooms"
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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Detectives have exhumed five more bodies from Kwa Binzaro village in Kilifi county where suspected cult-linked killings are under investigation.
Source: Facebook
The operation has revived chilling memories of the 2023 Shakahola massacre, in which more than 400 bodies were recovered.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) began the exhumation exercise on Thursday, August 21, targeting 27 shallow graves already identified in the area.
By the close of the first day, six graves had been opened, yielding five bodies and at least 10 other body parts scattered on the ground.
Government pathologist Richard Njoroge, who is leading the forensic team, confirmed the findings.
"At the commencement of this exercise, we had identified 27 suspected graves. Today, we managed to exhume six. Of the six, we found five bodies, and in the same area, we recovered 10 different body parts scattered in various places," Njoroge revealed.
He added that the exercise would continue until all graves were examined, warning that more bodies are likely to be recovered.
When will govt identify Kwa Binzaro victims?
The police believe the Kwa Binzaro cult is tied to the Good News International sect led by controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie, who is already facing charges over the Shakahola massacre.
Both sites lie within the expansive Chakama Ranch, a nearly 100,000-acre property that has become notorious for cult-linked activities.
Investigators say the cult’s leadership shifted operations deeper into the ranch after police cracked down on Shakahola in 2023.
Police are urging families with missing loved ones to report to Malindi Sub-County Hospital for DNA sampling.
Officials fear that more than 10 missing children, including six from a single family, may be among the victims.
"After this exhumation exercise, we shall embark on postmortems and take DNA samples from the remains for purposes of matching," Njoroge added.
How did Kwa Binzaro cult operate?
Investigators also unearthed disturbing evidence of how the suspected cult operated within the thicket.
In one enclosure, detectives found what is believed to have been a meeting space, where a woman identified only as Shirleen allegedly presided over gatherings and indoctrination sessions.
Nearby, officers discovered a mud and wood structure with three rooms, believed to have served as “dying rooms.”
According to Kilifi county commissioner Josephat Biwott, followers who agreed to fast to death were locked inside.
"Still in the thickets is a structure with three rooms… these are believed to be the dying rooms, quite literally. It is believed that the faithful who had agreed to fast to death were held in two of the rooms, one for men and the other for women. The victims would stay there until they breathed their last. Their bodies were collected in the central room before being transferred to yet another room, then buried in different places within the five-acre ranch," Biwott explained.
Source: Getty Images
Human rights group Haki Africa, which has been monitoring the exercise, praised the government’s transparency.
"We are happy with the openness by the government in this process and we hope that we will continue this partnership because we are here as citizens and members of the civil society to oversight the results and the statistics that are being shared by the government," said Haki Africa’s Mathias Shipeta.
How does Mackenzie contact followers?
In a previous report, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen revealed that jailed preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie continues to influence followers.
He claimed that via phone calls from prison, the cleric even prayed for a survivor who had escaped and later returned to the fasting cult.
This ongoing contact, he said, complicates efforts to tackle religious extremism because rituals like fasting and prayer seem harmless until they end in tragedy.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
