In a harrowing development, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have unearthed 18 more bodies in Shakahola village, Kilifi, believed to be followers of the enigmatic Pastor Paul Mackenzie. The discovery has brought the total number of exhumations in the area over the past three days to 39, transforming the cult leader’s compound into a chilling mass grave.
On Sunday, April 23, the initial six bodies were found in three shallow graves, with the subsequent discovery of 12 more in seven additional graves only hours later. The escalating death toll has shocked the local community, as investigators work tirelessly to bring answers to grieving families.
During the grim search, a woman was found alive but in critical condition, seemingly on the verge of death. Despite her dire circumstances, she informed the authorities that she did not wish to be rescued. The woman’s struggle highlights the potent influence that the cult leader still holds over his followers.
Pastor Mackenzie, the controversial figure at the center of the Kilifi-based cult, was apprehended after the deaths of his Good News International Church members. Starting on Friday, April 21, DCI detectives began the macabre process of marking gravesites and exhuming the bodies of presumed cult members who had reportedly starved themselves to death. During their efforts, 12 unmarked graves were discovered in the Shakahola forest, with three additional survivors, including a 16-year-old girl, being rescued and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
According to George Migosi, the Coast Regional Director of Children Services, children have been disproportionately affected by the cult’s practices. It appears that children were the first to embark on fasting, followed by women and men as per the orders of Mackenzie’s ministry. The tragic revelations in Kilifi continue to unravel as detectives investigate further, driven by tips from those who have been rescued from the cult’s clutches.