Five bodies found on Kenyan coast

NAIROBI, Aug 22, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - At least five bodies, including two children, exhumed on Kenya's coast are linked to an infamous starvation cult that came to light in 2023, police told AFP on Friday.
More than 400 people died in one of the world's worst cult-related tragedies, which became known as the "Shakahola Forest Massacre", discovered inland from the Indian Ocean town of Malindi.
The case rocked the country and made headlines globally, with self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie facing trial in the coastal city of Mombasa. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of manslaughter.
Officers had excavated at least 27 sites further along the coast from Shakahola at a five-acre site near Binzaro village in Kilifi county's Chakama area, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer Robert Kiinge told AFP.