Kwa Binzaro death toll hits 32 as detectives identify more mass graves

Detectives investigating a new cult in Kilifi County have discovered more mass graves near Kwa Binzaro village.

The graves were found deep in the thickets, a few kilometers from the five-acre homestead.

The red mounds had been disturbed by wild animals, and the soil above them appeared tampered with.

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

The detectives exhumed seven bodies from the new site, raising the death toll to 32.

Three of the bodies were piled in one grave. Each had been covered with tree trunks and some soil.

More than 60 people are feared to have perished after joining the cult.

A total of 54 body parts have also been collected from the area.

Government pathologist Dr Richard Njoroge said the bodies exhumed from the new site were 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 skeletonized like those exhumed last week” he added.

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

Most of the body parts collected were ribs and hands. The exhumation will continue Friday after detectives identified more mass graves.

Earlier detectives had said the search for more bodies was to be suspended to allow pathologists to carry out DNA test to identify those exhumed. 

James Kahindi, a resident, said they have been seeing people transported to the area at night for the past year.

“When we were informed about what was happening here, we used the trick of telling them we were collecting statistics for relief food distribution. When we got there, we noticed that some women were very weak,” he said.

Walid Sketty of Vocal Africa urged the government to extend the investigations and collaborate with locals.

Victor Kaudo of the Malindi Community Human Rights Centre has asked both the county and national governments to visit the area and witness the magnitude of the cult’s impact.