Written by Were Kelly
Detectives have uncovered more bleak prove of cult-related deaths in Kwa Binzaro village, Kilifi County, where shallow graves connected to followers of disputable pastor Paul Mackenzie continue to be uncovered.
By Friday evening, authorities had recovered nine bodies from the location, with 27 more graves mapped over the sprawling Chakama Ranch, just 26 kilometers from Shakahola, the scene of the 2023 massacre that left over 450 individuals dead.
Government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor uncovered that the remains at Kwa Binzaro show a marked departure from the burial patterns in Shakahola.
Unlike before, where casualties were wrapped in cloth, most bodies here were stripped bare, dumped speedily, and buried facing upwards.
A few graves even contained multiple victims, with clothes scattered nearby.
“It appears the burials were done in a hurry. The level of decay is advanced, with numerous remains reduced to skeletons,”Dr Oduor explained.
Police have captured 11 suspects accepted to be connected to Mackenzie’s faction, even as the pastor himself remains in custody facing murder charges.
Investigators caution that the death toll might rise as searches continue across the 100,000-acre Chakama Ranch, where the graves are hidden in thickets and undergrowth.
The chilling discoveries have sparked shock from human rights groups, who blamed authorities of coming up short to avoid a repeat of Shakahola.
Activists from Haki Africa demanded accountability, warning that cult systems may still be regrouping somewhere else.
Once the exhumations are complete, officials will conduct DNA tests to assist families identify lost relatives. As the search resumes next week, inhabitants and investigators brace for more disturbing revelations from Kwa Binzaro.
