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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.

Disturbing images are emerging from Kwa Binzaro village in Kilifi County, where detectives are uncovering shallow graves linked to cult-related killings.

The ongoing exhumation points to a shift in burial methods compared to the infamous Shakahola massacre, raising fresh concerns over the scale of the atrocities.

Kilifi: 5 more bodies exhumed from Kwa Binzaro village as detectives warn of more findings

By Friday, August 22 evening, nine bodies had been recovered from the site as detectives continued to comb the area for more sites.

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Government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor confirmed that four bodies were exhumed from three graves on Friday alone, one of which contained two victims.

He described the conditions as unlike anything seen before in his long career.

The National Police Service revealed that 27 graves had been mapped across the village, with detectives warning the death toll could rise as exhumations continue.

The search is complicated by the vastness of the Chakama Ranch, a 100,000-acre area where Kwa Binzaro is located, just 26 kilometers from Shakahola, where more than 450 victims of pastor Paul Mackenzie’s fasting cult were found in 2023.

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Mackenzie remains in custody awaiting trial for murder, while 11 new suspects believed to be his former followers have been arrested in connection with the Kwa Binzaro discoveries.

Detectives also found clothes dumped in one of the graves, suggesting the victims were stripped naked before burial.

Unlike in Shakahola, where bodies were wrapped in cloth, those in Kwa Binzaro were buried facing upwards, a detail that homicide investigators believe may signal an attempt to speed up disposal.

The level of decomposition has left most remains skeletal and dismembered.

The discovery has shocked residents and investigators alike, with locals observing that the graves were scattered and hidden beneath thick bushes, making the search difficult.

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Rights groups have condemned what they describe as another massacre, accusing security agencies of failing to prevent a repeat of Shakahola.

Haki Africa’s Mathias Shipete added that the threat of cults regrouping remained real, calling for accountability.

Officials say once the exhumation process is complete, DNA testing will begin to help identify the victims.

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Families with missing relatives have been urged to report and submit DNA samples for possible matching, mirroring the process that followed the Shakahola massacre.

With exhumations set to continue next week, investigators and families alike brace for more grim discoveries in the thickets of Kwa Binzaro.

Source: TUKO.co.ke