Seven additional bodies have been exhumed in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County, raising the death toll to 436 as the fifth phase of exhumations commenced. DCI officers discovered three new graves in the same area where 429 bodies, linked to a deadly religious doctrine, were unearthed in the previous phases.
Most victims of the Shakahola massacre succumbed to starvation, while others were strangled. Controversial priest Paul Mackenzie and his co-accused have been detained since April last year, facing charges including murder, manslaughter, and child torture.
Homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations returned to Shakahola on Monday to begin the latest phase of exhumations. Government pathologist Johansen Oduor reported that one grave contained four bodies, while the other two each held one. The team is targeting about 50 identified graves.
Over 400 bodies are currently stored in a refrigerated container outside the Malindi Sub-County Hospital Mortuary. Paul Mackenzie and his 94 co-accused, arrested last April for allegedly inciting followers to fast to death, face multiple charges, including radicalization and child torture.
