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Number of children feared dead in Kilifi cult rises to eight as court allows exhumation
Police officers secure the Binzaro homestead in Chakama Ranch where the body of a middle-aged man was found. Authorities say at least 11 people are being investigated in what appears like the Shakahola cult.
The number of children feared dead in the Binzaro cult in Chakama, Kilifi County, has risen to eight, according to investigators involved in the probe.
Police and family members said they managed to identify a man whose body was found at the homestead and discovered that he had been reported missing in Busia, together with his two children.
Mr Paul Otieno said his brother, the late Samwel Owino Okello Owuoyo, was from Ndhiwa in Homa Bay County but had been staying in Busia with his family before he went missing. Samwel was working as a casual labourer and left mysteriously in July this year during the school mid-term break.
"He had six children, three boys and three girls. He left Busia with his two sons, aged 13 and 9 years, leaving the rest with their mother. He lied to his wife that he was going to work at Ndhiwa,” said Mr Otieno.
This revelation adds to the number of children whose whereabouts remain unknown. Earlier, it had emerged that a couple rescued at the homestead had been reported missing in Siaya County along with their six children, who are also feared dead.
Lawyer Lawrence Obonyo representing the controversial preacher, Pastor Paul Mackenzie, addressing the press in Mombasa where he denied his client's involvement in the death of six children in what experts term as the second wave of the Shakahola deaths in Chakama Forest, in this photo taken on July 29, 2025.
Samwel's disappearance was reported at Busia Police Station, while that of the Siaya couple, Mr Jairus Otieno and Ms Lilian Akinyi, was reported at the Siaya Police Station.
Paul narrated that he travelled to Malindi last week to identify his dead brother after receiving a call from his sister-in-law, who had been informed of her husband's demise.
"I went and confirmed it was him. We are also investigating to know how he landed in Malindi because everything is a mystery to me," he added.
On Monday, the Malindi Court issued a court order for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to carry out exhumations at the homestead. This exercise is intended to confirm suspicions that bodies, including those of the missing children, could have been secretly buried.
Kilifi County Criminal Investigation Officer (CCIO) Robert Kiinge said they are mobilising a team ahead of the operation. The team includes morticians, pathologists, investigators, forensic experts, and local residents who will assist with the exhumations.
“The exercise requires a set of different people, and we might take about two weeks to plan ourselves. Our court order has an expiry, and so we want to ensure we begin before the deadline,” he said.
Over the weekend, forensic detectives marked four spots suspected to be shallow graves. Mr Kiinge said they anticipate eight bodies, but they suspect there could be more graves, and he urged locals to report any suspicious sites.
“We are aware that these people can bury even outside our target area because we are looking at the entire five acres of land,” he added.
The four frail individuals who were rescued and admitted to the Malindi sub-County Hospital have since been discharged and are now in stable condition in police custody.
Sources within the investigations team confided that they have established Jairus and his wife were living as outcasts after being banished from the homestead for being disrespectful. He then moved to construct a makeshift house thatched with grass, where he lived with his wife. They were being given food over the fence.
During this period of separation, he pretended to engage in the construction of his hut and other small activities, and it was during this time that he sneaked out to seek help at a nearby homestead at the Kwa Binzaro trading centre. An affidavit filed in court stated that Jairus informed police that all his six children were dead.
At the homestead, there were several houses, but one special house had a single entrance and three rooms. These included a preparation room and a prayer room , which was the most sacred place where people died. Each person had to 'graduate' through every stage.
It is believed that the prayer room had plastic sheets where the dead were wrapped and buried. The preparation for death involved gradually reducing meals to the point where one could survive on water alone, eventually leading to starvation and death.
While allowing the exhumation, Malindi Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara stated that it was in the interest of justice because the application had merit.
"It is clear that in determining the exhumation request, the paramount consideration is the administration of justice. The prosecution believes that samples taken from the deceased's cause of death, which I believe favours truth and justice in the circumstances, will be crucial during the determination of the murder case against the accused," she stated, in the ruling delivered on Tuesday.
