Kenya, July 31 -- A Malindi court has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) permission to exhume bodies from suspected shallow graves in Binzaro village, Kilifi County, amid fears of a resurgent cult linked to radicalisation, organised crime, and possible terrorism as a cult whistleblower reveals Binzaro shallow graves.
Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara issued the order on July 30, directing the Chief Government Pathologist to conduct postmortems, DNA testing, and toxicological analysis to determine the causes of death.
The investigation, sparked by a whistleblower's tip, follows the discovery of one body, two human skulls, and four malnourished survivors, raising chilling parallels to the 2023 Shakahola massacre, where over 400 bodies were unearthed.
The Binzaro case centres on a secluded five-acre homestead in Chakama, near Shakahola Forest, where authorities suspect victims were starved or suffocated under extreme religious ideologies.
Prosecution Counsel Judy Gachuru told the court that preliminary enquiries revealed multiple shallow graves, with survivors unable to account for several missing children, including six siblings from Siaya County, aged one to 15.
The DCI's affidavit highlighted a couple, former Shakahola survivors, among 11 suspects arrested on July 20, 2025, now under investigation for murder, terrorism, and organised crime. The suspects, including a minor, are detained until August 22, pending further probes.
The court's order mandates the Malindi and Lango Baya police to secure the exhumation site, with the sub-county health officer overseeing safety protocols.
Bodies will be preserved at Malindi Sub-County Hospital, already strained by over 400 unclaimed Shakahola remains.
Human rights groups, including Vocal Africa and MUHURI, have raised alarms about the government's failure to address cultism's root causes since Shakahola, where Paul Mackenzie's Good News International Church led to 448 deaths by June 2024, primarily from starvation and asphyxia.
Activists like Hussein Khalid warn of a "Shakahola Two," citing systemic lapses in monitoring radical groups.
Local residents, shaken by the discoveries, describe a secretive homestead fenced with thorny shrubs, where a woman named Sharlene allegedly purchased land for KSh 18,000 in March 2025 to establish a cult-like operation.
Villager Simon Menza reported that graves were marked with sisal plants, a tactic used to conceal bodies. A whistleblower, identified as Jairus from Siaya, sought help on July 18, claiming six of his children had died.
His family, previously rescued from Shakahola, had vanished again, resurfacing in Binzaro under mysterious circumstances. The DCI suspects links to Mackenzie, who, despite being jailed, may still influence followers.
Mackenzie, facing charges of murder, terrorism, and child cruelty for the Shakahola massacre, has denied involvement in Binzaro through his lawyer, Wycliffe Makasembo, who claims the incidents are geographically distinct.
However, investigators note similarities, including starvation tactics and apocalyptic preaching, with Mackenzie's 2019 crusade at Binzaro Primary School raising red flags.
The DCI is probing whether the new cult involves former Shakahola members, with 11 suspects, including land sellers, under scrutiny for enabling the operation.
Forensic teams, led by DCI's Homicide Division Director Martin Nyuguto, have marked four potential grave sites for exhumation, expected to take two weeks.
Kenya's coastal region, particularly Kilifi, has become a hotspot for cult-related tragedies, prompting calls for stricter oversight of religious groups.
The 2023 Shakahola case, where 429 bodies were exhumed, overwhelmed Malindi's mortuary, halting excavations due to space constraints. Human rights advocate Francis Auma emphasised the need for faster DNA matching and victim identification to provide closure to families, citing logistical failures in Shakahola.
Kenya's government, criticized for lax intelligence, faces pressure to regulate fringe groups without infringing on constitutional religious freedoms.
Nairobi's human rights and religious communities are closely monitoring the situation, people calling it Shakahola 2. Local leaders like Emanuel Pombe Kalu urge decisive action to prevent further tragedies, while residents fear social stigma akin to Shakahola's aftermath.
The exhumation, set to begin soon, aims to uncover the scale of the Binzaro cult's activities, with fears that the death toll, particularly among children, could rise. As investigations continue, Kenya grapples with balancing security, faith, and human rights in addressing this haunting resurgence of cult violence.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.