Police, pathologists, and grave diggers in Kenya’s Kilifi County have begun the exhumation of 27 shallow graves believed to contain the remains of followers of a deadly cult at Chakama Ranch, near the Shakahola Forest.
This site, now a crime scene, is tied to the church of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie, who is currently in jail facing charges of terrorism, child torture, and mass murder. In 2023, more than 400 graves were uncovered in the same forest after Mackenzie allegedly encouraged his followers to starve themselves to death in pursuit of “heaven.” It remains one of the deadliest cult-related tragedies worldwide.
On Thursday, morticians were seen moving body bags, some containing the remains of children. Kenya’s Chief Pathologist, Dr. Richard Njoroge, confirmed that six graves were exhumed, yielding five bodies and ten scattered body parts. He cautioned that the numbers are expected to rise as the exercise continues:
“Today we managed to exhume six. Of the six graves, we found five bodies, and then also around that area we found ten different scattered body parts,” Dr. Njoroge said.
Authorities revealed that 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with the new discoveries and are due to appear in court on Friday. Police are also investigating direct links to Mackenzie’s Good News International Church.
Efforts to identify the victims are ongoing. Families with missing relatives have been urged to provide DNA samples. Dr. Njoroge noted that hundreds of bodies from the 2023 exhumations remain unidentified:
“We had 453 at the closure of that exercise. Around 33 or 34 were released last time, so about 419 remain.”
The tragedy has renewed debate over Kenya’s struggle with religious extremism and the need for tighter regulation of informal churches. Although Parliament passed bills last year to regulate religious organisations, enforcement has stalled due to resistance from church leaders.
This latest discovery underlines the urgent need for stronger safeguards to prevent exploitation in the name of faith, as Kenya continues to grapple with the aftermath of one of its darkest chapters.
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