Controversial cult leader Paul Mackenzie is facing new charges after 52 more deaths were linked to cult-related activities in Kilifi County.
According to police reports released in August 2025, investigators exhumed 34 bodies and recovered a total of 102 human remains from shallow graves in an area known as Kwa Binzaro. Authorities have since declared the area a crime scene as investigations continue.
Police confirmed the arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the deaths, including four individuals believed to be the main planners behind the operations.
Investigators revealed that victims were allegedly instructed to fast until death as part of a doomsday belief system, with women and children reportedly targeted first.
The police noted striking similarities between the Kwa Binzaro case and the earlier Shakahola massacre, where followers of Mackenzie’s cult died from starvation, suffocation, and physical injuries.
However, unlike in Shakahola where bodies were wrapped before burial, victims in Kwa Binzaro were buried facing upward, suggesting an attempt to dispose of bodies quickly.
Authorities also revealed that many of the victims were not residents of Kilifi County. This has raised serious concerns that the cult may have been recruiting followers from other regions.
Paul Mackenzie, who is currently in custody over the Shakahola case, has claimed that his life is in danger while in prison.
Police dismissed the claims, stating that investigations are ongoing to establish whether there is a direct link between the two cases.
As detectives continue piecing together evidence, the nation remains shocked by the growing scale of cult-related deaths in the region.
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