Authorities in Kilifi County, Kenya, have recovered five bodies from shallow graves in Kwa Binzaro village, sparking fears of a resurgent cult-linked death site. The discovery was announced by government pathologist Dr. Richard Njoroge, who revealed during the exhumation exercise that ten scattered human body parts were also found nearby.
Excavations are still underway, and investigators report that of the 27 suspected grave sites, six had been opened so far — yielding the five bodies and the dismembered remains. Dr. Njoroge said the area under investigation is vast, and more bodies could still be uncovered.
Prosecutors have linked these findings to a cult suspected of using extreme religious ideology to manipulate followers; in July, the Director of Public Prosecutions said the victims may have been starved and suffocated under such beliefs.
The developments have revived painful memories of the 2023 Shakahola tragedy, when over 400 bodies were exhumed from the nearby Shakahola Forest, linked to the sect led by Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie.
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Eleven suspects are being probed in connection with the new graves.
Local residents and relatives of missing persons are being urged to come forward; DNA sampling is being carried out at a Red Cross desk at Malindi District Hospital to help identify the remains.
Anadolu Ajansı
With investigators warning that the exhumation is far from over, the discovery has raised tough questions about how deeply cult influence may still lurk in Kilifi’s remote areas. As authorities press on with forensic work, there is growing pressure from communities and human rights groups for more rigorous oversight of religious movements, stronger protections for vulnerable believers, and swift justice for those behind the suspected mass burials.