Kenya Stops Exhumations at Cult Site After Finding Remains 

Authorities in Kenya have suspended exhumations at a suspected doomsday cult site after discovering new remains near where hundreds of bodies linked to a cult were found two years ago, the Associated Press reported. 

The latest exhumations at Chakama Ranch in Kilifi County, in southeastern Kenya, uncovered 34 new bodies and more than 100 body parts, Africanews noted.  

Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja said a multi-agency team was investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths. Eleven suspects were arrested a month ago after a woman reported the deaths of her children. The investigation is ongoing.  

Authorities are analyzing money transfers to the suspects’ phones from individuals they suspect of funding the operation. 

Police said the cult members rented homes in the town of Malindi, on Kenya’s western coast, before moving to the remote Chakama Ranch area, where they built mud huts next to where the shallow graves were found.  

This marks the second instance where bodies have been uncovered in the area, which has been linked to cult activities. 

Two years ago, the remains of more than 400 followers of a doomsday cult were found near preacher Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Church in the Shakahola area, about 1.2 miles from where the new remains were found. Mackenzie is in custody on murder charges. 

The discovery sent shockwaves across Kenya. 

According to the police, the new remains were found during the regrouping of the cult by former members. 

The number of missing remains is unclear.