The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has received a go-ahead from a Malindi court to exhume bodies suspected to be buried in shallow graves at the Binzaro area in Makongeni, Malindi.

In a statement on Wednesday, July 30, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) revealed that Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara issued the order to allow for further investigation into the suspected religious cult. 

The chief pathologist was thus directed to carry out the exhumation for purposes of postmortem examinations, DNA testing, and toxicological analysis to determine the causes of death.

This is after the prosecution counsel, Judy Gachuru, informed the court that investigators suspect multiple individuals were murdered through starvation and suffocation in what appears to be part of a broader pattern of radicalisation and organised criminal activity.

Since the investigations began, 11 suspects have been identified as masterminds of the suspected cult and are under investigation for their alleged involvement in organised crime, radicalisation, facilitation of terrorism, and murder.

Preliminary investigations have since suggested that the victims may have been starved and suffocated as a result of adopting and promoting extreme religious ideologies. 

More shockingly, interviews with victims rescued from the premises revealed that most of them could not account for the whereabouts of their children, leading investigators to suspect they were buried in shallow graves on the grounds.

“Our preliminary inquiries have so far established the existence of several suspected shallow graves where bodies were concealed,” read part of an affidavit by a DCI investigator.

Therefore, the DCI requested the court to authorise forensic investigations on the exhumed bodies, including autopsies, DNA profiling, and toxicological tests to establish the cause and manner of death of the victims.

In her ruling, Magistrate Thamara also directed the Officer Commanding Malindi Police Division and the Officer Commanding Lango Baya Police Station to provide adequate security during the exhumation process. 

The Public Health Officer for Malindi was also instructed to oversee health and safety measures during the exhumation and ensure the bodies are preserved and stored at Malindi Sub-County Hospital for forensic analysis.

The cult is suspected to have links with the Shakahola religious cult led by Paul Mackenzie, where at least 400 bodies of starved followers, including children, were exhumed in 2023. Mackenzie is currently on trial.

In fact, some of the members rescued are suspected to have belonged to the Shakahola cult. By Maurice Kirambia, Kenyans.co.ke