In the quiet, sun-baked stretches of Kilifi County, Kenya, a chilling story has resurfaced—one that has gripped the nation and drawn international attention for its scale and horror. Over the past week, authorities have exhumed nine more bodies from fresh graves near the infamous Shakahola Forest, the site of one of the world’s deadliest cult tragedies. The discoveries, made between August 21 and 22, 2025, are believed to be linked to the deadly starvation cult led by self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie, whose teachings allegedly drove hundreds to a gruesome end.
According to BBC, the grisly work began anew after the disappearance of several children triggered a fresh investigation. Police, pathologists, and grave diggers converged on Kwa Binzaro village, just two kilometers from the original Shakahola mass grave site, and began exhuming 27 shallow graves. The atmosphere was heavy with dread and anticipation. Five bodies were found on Thursday, followed by four more on Friday, as morticians carried body bags—some containing the remains of children—out of the dense thickets. Government pathologist Dr. Richard Njoroge, who has been at the forefront of the operation, stated, “We have not exhausted the search; the area is very, very vast. So we expect more bodies.”
Dr. Njoroge’s team also recovered ten scattered human body parts in the undergrowth, a macabre reminder of the violence and desperation that have haunted this region. As he told Sky News, “Today we managed to exhume six. Of the six graves, we found five bodies and then also around that area we found ten different scattered body parts, scattered in different places on the surface.” The work is far from over: 18 more gravesites are scheduled for exhumation starting Monday, August 25.
This latest chapter in the Shakahola saga comes just two years after the 2023 discovery of more than 400 bodies in the same forest. Those victims were followers of Mackenzie’s Good News International Church, who, under his direction, starved themselves to death in hopes of reaching heaven more quickly. The scale of the tragedy shocked Kenya and the world, with AP describing it as “one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies.”
Authorities have moved swiftly in response to the new findings. Eleven people have been arrested in connection with the case, including three who were followers of Mackenzie during what has become known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre.” The suspects are being investigated for their links to Mackenzie and his church, and were scheduled to appear in court on Friday, August 22. The government’s resolve to get to the bottom of the case has been evident, but the terrain and the sheer number of possible graves make the task daunting.
The exhumations were ordered after the disappearance of children in July 2025 raised fresh fears that the cult’s activities had not ceased. Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions voiced grave concerns, stating that those buried may have been “starved and suffocated as a result of adopting and promoting extreme religious ideologies.” The possibility that the cult might still be active was further fueled by remarks from Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen in April, who alleged that Mackenzie was communicating with followers from jail using a mobile phone.
Mackenzie, who was arrested in 2023 and has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, now faces a raft of charges including terrorism, child torture, and murder. His ongoing trial was recently adjourned after new evidence came to light. Yet, the specter of his influence lingers. As BBC reports, prosecutors believe Mackenzie’s message—that starvation was a path to salvation—continues to endanger lives, even from behind bars.
Forensic experts and homicide detectives are now racing against time to identify the newly recovered remains. By the end of the previous exhumation exercise, 453 bodies had been recovered, with 419 still unidentified, according to Dr. Njoroge. Authorities have called on families with missing loved ones to come forward and provide DNA samples, hoping to bring closure to the many who still wait for news. “This is to appeal to the members of the public who may have lost their loved ones or who may suspect that their loved ones are missing to report to Malindi District Hospital,” Dr. Njoroge urged, noting that the Red Cross is assisting with sample collection.
The scenes at the gravesites have been harrowing. Human rights activist Hussein Khalid, CEO of Vocal Africa, witnessed the exhumations and described signs of foul play. “The first body which was found by itself appeared to have been put there fairly recently—two to three weeks back. But the other four appear to have been there a while and were in a decomposing state,” he told BBC. Khalid also recounted a particularly disturbing discovery: “No remains were found but it appeared as if days ago, someone, some people or some group must have removed the corpse that was there,” he said, adding that only pieces of children’s and women’s underwear had been left behind. “That sent a chilling message that it is possible the person or persons who were buried there were women and children.”
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of Kenya’s religious landscape. The proliferation of informal churches and the rise of religious extremism have prompted calls for tighter regulation. Parliament passed several preliminary bills aimed at regulating religious organizations last year, but implementation has stalled amid resistance from church leaders. As Sky News notes, Kenya is grappling with how to balance religious freedom with the need to protect its citizens from exploitation and harm.
Religious organizations, including some of the country’s mega-churches, have come under investigation in the past for cult-like practices, such as barring followers from seeking medical treatment or pursuing education. The Shakahola case has become a grim touchstone for the dangers of unchecked religious authority and the vulnerability of those seeking hope in desperate times.
As exhumations continue and the scale of the tragedy grows, the people of Kilifi County—and indeed, all of Kenya—are left to reckon with the aftermath. Each new grave unearthed is not just a statistic, but a story of faith gone tragically awry, a family shattered, a community in mourning. The hope now is that justice will be served, the full truth uncovered, and that the lessons learned will help prevent such horrors from ever happening again.
