Kwa Binzaro cult suspects held for 60 days as investigators uncover grisly graves

A court in Malindi has ordered the continued detention of four Kwa Binzaro cult suspects for an additional 60 days as investigations into mass deaths and the exhumation of victims’ remains intensify.

During a Thursday session, detectives told the court they would use the extra time to sort through 102 commingled remains already recovered, carry out post-mortem examinations on 34 exhumed bodies, locate more graves across the 400-acre forest, and collect scattered body parts.

Malindi Principal Magistrate Joy Wesonga ruled that the prosecution had demonstrated sufficient grounds for the extension.

“The prosecution’s application is allowed. Periodical reports on the progress of investigations shall be filed every three weeks,” the magistrate said.

Investigators explained that although cult members lived on a five-acre homestead, bodies were transported and buried across a much larger 400-acre area, making recovery efforts more complex.

Each body will first undergo radiological assessments to establish age and trauma before autopsies—a process expected to take at least two weeks.

DNA analysis

In an affidavit, Inspector Oliver Nabonwe cautioned that DNA analysis could take longer than the 60-day extension.

“DNA analysis will take far longer than the 60 days sought, due to challenges such as the availability of relatives and sufficiency of samples,” he said.

The prosecution stressed the importance of identifying the deceased before filing charges. They noted that nearly all the bodies were buried without clothing in shallow graves less than a foot deep, leaving them exposed to weather and wild animals, which degraded the DNA quality.

The four suspects—self-proclaimed priestess Sharleen Temba Anido, Kahindi Kazungu Garama, Thomas Mukonwe, and James Kazungu—have already spent 51 days in custody and are being held at Ngerenya, Kilifi, Watamu, and Kijipwa police stations. Authorities say they were key to reviving radical teachings after fleeing Shakahola, where at least 454 followers of preacher Paul Mackenzie died in 2023, and described them as a danger to themselves and others.

They are accused of radicalising followers and orchestrating mass deaths described as a “holy safari to see Jesus.”

The suspects were separated from an initial group of 11 arrested over the Kwa Bi Nzaro killings, which mirror the Shakahola massacre.

Court documents also revealed the suffering of their families: Mukonwe’s wife and three children are missing and presumed dead; Kazungu’s wife, Dhahabu Kabwere Chea, faces 238 manslaughter charges alongside Mackenzie in Mombasa while their five children remain missing; and Anido’s husband is believed to have died during extreme fasting rituals.

Released

Other Topics To Read

• Coast
• Paul Mackenzie
• Shakahola
• Kwa Binzaro
• Kwa Binzaro cult
• Kwa Binzaro cult suspects
• Kwa Binzaro cult suspects held for 60 days as investigators uncover grisly graves
• Headlines

Three other suspects—Safari Kenga, Gona Charo, and Gona Fondo—have been released, while four others were placed under witness protection to help investigators reconstruct events, identify perpetrators, and establish the cult’s timeline of regrouping.

So far, 34 bodies and 102 separate body parts have been recovered from Kwa Binzaro forest, located less than 30 kilometres from Shakahola. Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina told the court that perpetrators tried to conceal their crimes by leaving many victims unburied.

“The recovery of 102 commingled remains confirmed that many victims had been abandoned in thorny thickets to be eaten by animals,” Yamina said.

The prosecution added that most victims were either dumped in the forest or buried in shallow graves, exposing them to scavengers. Investigators have so far identified several grave sites, collected DNA samples from families of the missing, interrogated the suspects, and recorded more than 50 witness statements.

The four suspects are under investigation for radicalisation under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, facilitation of terrorism, organised criminal activity under the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act, and murder under the Penal Code.