11 suspects arrested as 102 human remains recovered in Kwa Binzaro massacre

At least 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with the Kwa Binzaro massacre, which has seen a total of 34 bodies exhumed from shallow graves.

While inspecting the grave sites in Kilifi County, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said that a total of 102 human remains, including skulls, have been recovered.

Four out of the 11 suspects in police custody have been identified as main suspects, with the Inspector General announcing that the DCI is intensifying investigations to establish the cause and motive of the deaths.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the majority of the victims of the Kwa Binzaro massacre are suspected to be non-locals. The development follows an admission of shortcomings in handling the Kwa Binzaro tragedy by the National Police Service (NPS) last week, that gaps in intelligence, investigations, and coordination among security agencies contributed to the incident.

Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said that, despite lessons drawn from the Shakahola tragedy, which shocked the country last year, a similar situation has once again unfolded near the area.

This raises questions over preparedness and response.

Police urged Wananchi to report missing relatives to the authorities to forestall losing people to extremist religions. Preliminary investigations indicated that some of the victims had earlier been rescued from Shakahola Forest, which borders Kwa Binzaro village.

Some 20 graves have so far been exhumed.

This comes amid ongoing prosecution of suspects over the Shakahola massacre where at least 400 bodies were exhumed.