MALINDI, Kenya – A Malindi court has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) permission to exhume bodies suspected to be buried in shallow graves in Binzaro, Kilifi County, amid growing concerns over a potential cult-related mass death.
The approval, issued by Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara, follows an application by the DCI seeking to establish the circumstances under which the victims died.
Preliminary investigations point to possible starvation and suffocation, linked to radical religious practices.
The case bears disturbing similarities to the 2023 Shakahola tragedy, where dozens of followers of self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie were found to have starved to death in what was described as a doomsday cult.
According to the prosecution’s counsel, Judy Gathungu, the deaths in Binzaro may have been the result of both starvation and suffocation.
In a sworn affidavit submitted to the court, DCI officers claimed that survivors rescued from the area were unable to account for the whereabouts of several children, raising suspicions of foul play.
“Our preliminary inquiries have so far established the existence of several suspected shallow graves where bodies were concealed,” read part of the affidavit filed by a DCI investigator.
The court directed that the exhumation be conducted under the supervision of government pathologists to facilitate post-mortem examinations, toxicological analysis, and DNA testing.
The remains will be preserved at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital for forensic investigation.
Magistrate Thamara also instructed the Malindi and Lango Baya Police Station OCSs to provide security during the exhumation.
The local public health officer will oversee compliance with health and safety protocols throughout the process.
The development underscores the government’s heightened vigilance in cracking down on cultic activities in the coastal region and follows growing concern over the use of religious teachings to manipulate and endanger lives.
