The significance of the cult activities in Kilifi County becomes evident upon arrival in Shakahola village, where two bodies, one badly decomposed, were discovered on Wednesday, and 15 emaciated individuals were rescued.
For the second day, forensic experts, three pathologists, and crime scene analysts remained in the village, preparing to excavate 19 suspected mass graves believed to contain the remains of cult victims. The group leader convinced them to starve themselves to death.
The graves were discovered with the assistance of a witness, who informed the police that they could contain between two and three bodies. The exhumation is expected to begin today. The identities of any additional bodies discovered and their causes of death will be of interest.
Yesterday, the team arrived in the village in several police vehicles and proceeded to the home of the prime suspect, Pastor Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church. Police rescued a malnourished woman from a forest near the village, and later, 14 more individuals were rescued, many of whom had shaved their heads.
Families continued to search for their missing loved ones in the hopes of locating them alive or dead. The graves were shallow and had loose clumps of soil on top, and ashes were scattered around the edges.
Some graves had been hastily covered with tree branches, and some appeared to have been freshly dug. In some of the grave sites, personal effects of the victims were burned. It is unclear whether the police will guard the sites overnight before the official exhumation of the bodies.
One Nigerian man was searching for his Kenyan wife and child, among others, while a former member of Pastor Mackenzie’s church revealed that he had established two committees, one responsible for burial activities and the other for security matters.
