Kenya has been thrown into fresh mourning as authorities uncovered seven new bodies and 54 body parts in Kwa Binzaro village, Kilifi County. The grisly discovery on Thursday has pushed the death toll to 12, sparking chilling reminders of the 2023 Shakahola massacre, where more than 400 lives were lost in what was later described as a starvation cult tragedy.
Government pathologist, Dr. Richard Njoroge, who supervised the latest exhumations, revealed that unlike the skeletal remains recovered last week, these new bodies appeared “fresh,” suggesting they were buried only weeks or months ago. This has raised fears that the killings are ongoing, not historical.
“The bodies we exhumed last week were full skeletons, but the ones we found here look like they were buried much more recently,” Dr. Njoroge explained.
The recovery comes just days after five other bodies were dug out of shallow graves in the same area. Officials now suspect a disturbing continuation of cult-related deaths, rather than a one-time event.
A painful déjà vu of Shakahola
For locals, the discovery cuts deep. Memories of the Shakahola Forest Massacre—linked to controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie and his Good News International Church—are still raw. That dark chapter revealed shocking cases of starvation, suffocation, and violence, leaving hundreds dead.
A Malindi resident, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, summed up the mood:
“It feels like Shakahola all over again.”
Families caught in limbo
Authorities are now pleading with families of missing persons to come forward for DNA matching and identification at the Kenya Red Cross desk in Malindi District Hospital. Police stress this is the only way to bring dignity and closure to the victims.
The Red Cross is also offering counselling support to families gripped by fear that their loved ones may be among the dead.
Why Kilifi is vulnerable
Kilifi County, 426 kilometres southeast of Nairobi, has increasingly been spotlighted for its link with fringe religious groups and sect-related practices. Experts warn that widespread poverty, lack of education, and weak regulation of churches have made the area fertile ground for exploitation by self-styled religious leaders.
Although the government set up a commission of inquiry after Shakahola and even drafted laws to regulate religious organisations, rights activists argue that enforcement has been slow and ineffective.
“This new discovery shows that lessons from Shakahola were not fully implemented,” said one civil society activist in Mombasa.
A nation unsettled
As security forces dig deeper in Kwa Binzaro, Kenya finds itself on edge. Questions are rising over how many more unmarked graves lie hidden and whether the cycle of cult-linked killings will ever be broken.
For families still living with the trauma of Shakahola, this new wave of exhumations reopens scars that never fully healed. And for the wider nation, the grim discoveries serve as a haunting reminder: until stronger safeguards are enforced, Kenya risks reliving its darkest nightmares.
