Kwa Binzaro cult death rises to 37 as exhumations suspended for postmortems

The exhumation bodies of suspected cults at the Kwa Binzaro village, Kilifi County, has been suspended to pave way for postmortems on bodies retrieved.

On Friday, the death toll climbed to 37 after five more bodies were exhumed from the site. A multi-agency team has been assigned to continue searching for more graves in the area.

The team spent most of the day collecting scattered body parts, which had been left on the ground after being eaten by wild animals.

Meanwhile, the detectives investigating the new cult have also discovered additional fresh mass graves near Kwa Binzaro village, sparking fears that the number of the death could be higher.

The graves were found deep in the thickets, a few kilometres from the five-acre homestead. The graves are disturbed by wild animals.

Near the mass graves, detectives found a mobile SIM card plate in a hut, which they said they will use to trace its owner.

More than 60 people are feared to have perished in the cult. In total, 54 body parts have also been collected from the forest.

On Thursday, government pathologist Dr Richard Njoroge said the bodies exhumed from the new site were very fresh, suggesting they may have been buried only a month or a few weeks ago.

“Today, we have also collected 54 body parts scattered away from the graves, which appear to have been dug up and eaten by wild animals,” he said.

Most of the bodies were naked and fresh. They were not skeletons like those exhumed last week, he added.

Dr Njoroge said the body parts will be processed, and DNA tests will be conducted on them.

Most of the body parts collected were ribs and hands. The exercise is set to continue tomorrow after new graves were discovered.

Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha said pathologists will first carry out the autopsies and release the 37 identified bodies to their families.

"After that, they will begin the second phase of exhumations," she said.

She urged members of the public who have missing relatives to provide DNA samples at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital mortuary.

Onyancha also stated that patrols will be increased and intelligence-gathering strengthened to prevent such incidents from happening again.

She warned the public to be cautious about what they accept from religious leaders, saying, “We are appealing to the public to stop being gullible,” she said.

The RC also revealed that arrests had been made in Magarini involving people practising unbiblical doctrines.

Hussein Khaled, a human rights activist from Vocal Africa, said the situation is alarming.

“This is a serious concern, especially for the country’s security agencies. It is unimaginable that less than two years later, we are once again exhuming bodies of Kenyans who have died, and we still don’t know the root cause of this problem.”

He added, “We want the state to explain where the security agencies were, particularly since this is a repeat case. We cannot continue losing Kenyans like this every day.”

Hussein also commended the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) team and the media for their efforts in uncovering the truth.

The Kwa Binzaro deaths came to the public limelight after Jairus Otieno Odere and his wife reported the death of their six children.

Otieno’s wife, Lilian Akinyi, is said to have become emotional after their last child died. She started nagging her husband until the two were banished and isolated from the rest of the group.

“Otionos asked for help, and they contacted their brother, who then notified the police,” said Kilifi County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCO) Robert Kiinge in an earlier interview.

Kiinge, who said they raided the place immediately after the report was made.

“When the brother notified the police, that’s when they went and raided the homestead on July 19, recovered one body and skulls, and rescued four frail individuals,” he said.

He added, "Otieno and his wife had been reported missing in Siaya County along with their six children. We have been able to interrogate them, and the wife has opened up and narrated how the children died, starting with the lastborn, who was about a year and a half old,'' Kiinge said.

Otieno, Akinyi, Ms Sharleen Temba, Kahonzi Katana, Loice Zawadi, Safari Kenga, Karisa Fondo, Gona Charo Kalama, Kahindi Kazungu, Thomas Mukonwe, and James Kahindi are in custody in connection with the deaths.

Human rights groups say that so far, 66 people have been reported missing in the Kwa Binzaro cult, but detectives say the number could be higher.