Court allows DCI to exhume remains of Malindi cult members

Detectives exhume bodies in Shakahola forest, Kilifi county. [File, Standard] The High Court in Malindi has allowed the homicide detective to exhume the remains of cult members interred in shallow mass graves near Shakahola Forest, Kilifi county. State prosecutor, Barack Chirchir, said on Tuesday the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) will begin the exercise following the court order. Homicide detectives and forensic experts from DCI headquarters in Nairobi began the search and marking of more graves at the Kwa Binzaro village near Shakahola. Malindi Sub County Police boss, Moses Kiprono, said that exhumation will commence immediately after the mapping of the area inside the expansive Chakama Forest. "The Nairobi team took over the investigation. They have been combing the area and marking the grave sites. Exhumation will begin after all the graves have been positively identified," he said. The team led by the Director of the Homicide Division at the DCI, Martin Nyuguto, began to map the five-acre homestead believed to be the epicentre of the latest activities of the cult. The place has been cordoned off and declared a crime scene. On Friday, police turned away human rights activists who tried to access the village. The activists were Kelef Khalifa and Francis Auma of Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri), Mathias Shipeta and Yusuf Abubakar of Haki Afrika, and Walid Sketi and Hussein Khalid of Vocal Africa. Abubakar, a lawyer, accused the government of failure to protect citizens from cults in Kilifi County. He said the heads of intelligence and security should be held liable for the deaths. "Mine is just to remind the Attorney General that what is happening in Kwa Bi Nzaro is proof that this regime has failed to protect Kenyans. This is a canon responsibility of any government," he said. A fortnight ago, police recovered six bodies, rescued four emaciated individuals, and arrested 11 others believed to have embarked on fasting to death. "We are the ones who notified the police of the existence of the cult at Kwa Binzaro village, but we are being blocked from accessing the area. What are they hiding?" Posed Shipeta. A close source to the investigations said at least four mass graves have been discovered within Kwa Binzaro village, raising fears that there could be more. He said the deaths occurred between March and July 2025. The village is within Chakama Ranch, encompassing the Shakahola area, where over 400 people starved to death in 2023. Among the suspects in the latest case is a couple from Siaya County whose six children are feared dead. Police say the suspect, Jairus Otieno, was a follower of controversial pastor Paul Makenzi. Makenzi, is among 31 people facing charges of murder, child torture, and terrorism following the death of over 400 people inside the Shakahola forest. On Tuesday, Makenzi's lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, denied that his client was involved in the latest case. Reports from detectives state that Otieno was an ardent believer of Makenzi's teachings. Kilifi County Commissioner Josphat Biwott noted that on July 19, two human skulls and the body of an unidentified adult male were also discovered in nearby thickets near Kwa Binzaro. The remains were transferred to the Malindi sub-county hospital mortuary pending identification and forensic examination. The investigations began after a public tip-off led police to the compound where they rescued four frail and weak individuals. Police believe the victims were being held under the influence of radical religious teachings. Simon Menza, a villager at Kwa Binzaro, says he had an encounter with one of the cult members who had come to seek help after one of his children died and was buried in a shallow grave. "He told me that they bury each other in a shallow grave and then plant a sisal on top of the grave for easy identification. In case they want to bury another person, they would know the presence of a body because of the sisal, and they would look for another spot," he said.

Court allows DCI to exhume remains of Malindi cult members

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