A Kenyan court has ordered the exhumation of bodies believed to be linked to a new suspected cult-related killing spree in Kilifi County, the same region where more than 400 victims of a doomsday cult were found two years ago, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The graves, located on the outskirts of Malindi, are thought to contain victims who died from starvation and suffocation. Eleven suspects are under investigation, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said on X.
“Investigators suspect multiple individuals were murdered through starvation and suffocation,” the statement said, linking the deaths to “extreme religious ideologies.”
The discovery echoes the 2023 Shakahola Forest tragedy, where cult leader Paul Mackenzie allegedly instructed followers to starve themselves and their children to death in preparation for the end of the world. Mackenzie, who denies charges of murder and terrorism, remains on trial.
Authorities said that in the latest case, several children from the area had gone missing, prompting suspicions of foul play. The court has ordered exhumations to be followed by autopsies, DNA identification and toxicology tests.
In April this year, Kenyan police rescued 57 malnourished people and recovered two bodies from a church in western Kenya in a separate incident.