In a harrowing continuation of investigations into suspected cult-related killings near Malindi, authorities have today confirmed that a mother and her infant are among six more bodies exhumed in Kwa Binzaro Village, pushing the confirmed death toll since the operation began last week to 19.
Homicide detectives, supported by forensic experts and government pathologists, have been methodically excavating a series of shallow graves scattered across the five-acre plot near Shakahola.
On the opening day, six graves were opened, yielding five bodies and ten human body parts, bringing the initial total of recovered remains to six bodies and additional remains.
By August 25, investigators had exhumed four more bodies, raising the toll to 13, alongside eight scattered body parts.
On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the operation added another six remains, including the tragic discovery of a mother and her baby, bringing the confirmed death toll to 19.
Unlike the 2023 Shakahola massacre, where victims were neatly wrapped and buried en masse, the Kwa Binzaro graves are shallow, scattered and hastily unprepared.
Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor described bodies found stripped and buried face-up evidence, investigators believe, of frantic or secretive burials.
Detectives have uncovered disturbing structures in the thickets: a building with three rooms, believed to be “dying rooms” where victims starved themselves under coercion,one room for men, another for women, with a central room for collecting the bodies before burial .
Authorities have arrested 11 individuals, among them the woman suspected of orchestrating the killings, along with others believed to be linked to cult activity affiliated with Paul Nthenge Mackenzie’s Good News International network .
Investigators suspect that some victims were survivors of the 2023 Shakahola cult, who returned to the forested area after struggling to reintegrate into their communities
Teams have mapped out 27 potential grave sites across the area, with postmortems, DNA profiling, and identification efforts underway to match the recovered remains with missing persons.
Families have been urged to come forward with DNA samples to aid identification efforts at facilities like the Malindi Sub-County Hospital and the Red Cross desk .
Investigations are also expanding, authorities are probing land ownership and how the suspect acquired the five-acre site deep within Chakama Ranch, a notorious locale in cult-linked tragedies.
The unfolding tragedy at Kwa Binzaro reopens painful wounds not just for the victims’ families but for the nation.
Activists and rights groups have warned of the “dangerous undercurrent” of unregulated faith-based groups, calling for stronger oversight without infringing on religious freedoms.
With each body bringing a face and a story to this grim tally, the operation stands as a chilling reminder of failures in monitoring radical ideologies, and the urgent need for accountability and healing.
