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Kenyan authorities have exhumed nine more bodies from fresh graves believed to be linked to the country’s infamous starvation cult, where more than 400 victims were discovered in 2023 in Shakahola Forest, Malindi.
The cult is tied to self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie, who allegedly convinced his followers to fast to death, claiming it would bring them closer to heaven. Mackenzie, arrested last year and now facing manslaughter charges, has denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors say 11 people have recently been arrested, including former followers, in connection with what has been dubbed the Shakahola Forest Massacre.
The latest graves were found in Kwa Binzaro village near the forest, with five bodies unearthed on Thursday and four more on Friday. Pathologist Richard Njoroge warned that more discoveries were likely:
“We have not exhausted the search; the area is very vast. So we expect more bodies.”
Authorities urged families with missing relatives to report to Malindi District Hospital, where the Red Cross is collecting information and DNA samples.
Exhumations of at least 18 additional gravesites are set to continue Monday.
The case has reignited fears the cult remains active. In April, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen alleged Mackenzie had been communicating with followers from prison using a smuggled phone.
Human rights activist Hussein Khalid, who witnessed the exhumations, described disturbing scenes. Some bodies appeared to have been buried recently, while other graves suggested corpses may have been removed. He said only pieces of women’s and children’s clothing were left behind, raising suspicions of foul play.
Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has said those buried may have been “starved and suffocated as a result of extreme religious ideologies.”
