More than 400 people have now tragically died in one of the world’s most horrifying cult-related tragedies, the “Shakahola Forest Massacre.” At least nine additional bodies, including two children, have been exhumed on Kenya’s coast, police confirmed on Friday. The grim discovery is directly linked to an infamous starvation cult that first gained global attention in early 2023.
Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of manslaughter at his ongoing trial in Mombasa. Officers excavated at least 27 sites further along the coast from Shakahola at a five-acre site near Binzaro village.
A DCI officer told AFP that most of the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, indicating they were buried a long time ago. State pathologist Johansen Oduo later said that the victims were buried naked in shallow graves after four more bodies were exhumed.
Eleven people have been taken into custody for questioning, although three of them are being treated as victims in the ongoing investigation. Police confirmed that the people currently in custody are believed to be followers of the controversial cult leader, Pastor Mackenzie.
Authorities said they would not speculate on the exact cause of death until scheduled post-mortems are officially carried out. The recent discoveries come after a Mombasa court this month adjourned the trial of Mackenzie, citing new evidence.
The tragic case has now prompted Kenya’s government to move toward tighter control over fringe religious groups and their practices. Past efforts to regulate religion in the majority-Christian country have been fiercely opposed as undermining constitutional guarantees of church and state.