Controversial preacher Paul Makenzi, already the prime suspect in the tragic deaths of over 400 people found in Kenya's Shakahola Forest, now faces a darker turn in his legal battle with new indictments related to a second wave of deaths. These additional victims were discovered at Kwa Binzaro (also referred to as Kwa Bi Nzaro), a breakaway cell from Makenzi’s cult church, intensifying one of Kenya's most significant criminal investigations.

The Kwa Binzaro site, located in the Chakama location of Magarini Sub-County within Kilifi County, has been a focal point of recent investigations. Initial police testimony indicated that 28 bodies were buried in shallow graves at Kwa Binzaro, with remains found in varying conditions—some whole, others as skeletal remains or scattered body parts, sometimes with multiple bodies in one-foot-deep graves. However, prosecutors in Mombasa officially charged Makenzi and seven other suspects in February 2026 with twenty-three counts of murder as crimes against humanity, specifically relating to fifty-two bodies exhumed in 2025 from the Kwa Bi Nzaro forest. The site's proximity to Shakahola forest has been reported inconsistently; initial court testimonies placed it approximately four kilometers away, while other reports suggest a distance of around thirty kilometers from the original Shakahola graves, hinting at a wider geographical reach of the starvation cult.

Makenzi, alongside Shallyne Anindo Temba, Kahindi Kazungu Garama, Tom Ochieng Mkonwe, Julius Tuva Luwali, Johnson Gona Richard, Charles Mutua Musee, and James Kazungu Kahindi, face severe charges. These include 23 counts of murder as a crime against humanity, contrary to specific sections of the International Crimes Act, No. 16 of 2008, and Articles of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. They also face alternative counts of murder under Kenyan law, as well as charges related to organized criminal activity, radicalization, and the facilitation of a terrorist act, with the state arguing that the coercive methods used amounted to radicalization and a national security threat.

Perhaps the most startling revelation in the new case is the allegation that Makenzi continued to orchestrate the cult’s activities even after his arrest and detention in Shimo la Tewa maximum prison since 2023. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) established that Makenzi planned the Kwa Binzaro massacre from within prison. Evidence presented by the prosecution to support these claims includes phone records and handwritten notes seized from his prison cell, indicating his ongoing direction of followers.

Senior Sergeant Livingstone Lihanda, a crime scene officer, testified before Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Wambo, detailing the meticulous process of documenting the 28 bodies initially found. He explained how each recovery was photographed and documented to preserve scene integrity for forensic examination. Recovered body parts were carefully analyzed and linked to reconstruct individual bodies for identification, in conjunction with exhumation and post-mortem examination processes. Land surveyor Michael Mwaria also testified, confirming the presence of several homesteads and temporary structures at the Kwa Binzaro site.

During his court appearance in February 2026, Makenzi denied all the new accusations. He remains in custody, with the new cases regarding the Kwa Bi Nzaro victims scheduled for further mention on March 17, 2026. These developments run parallel to the main Shakahola trial, where Makenzi and 94 co-accused are awaiting a defence hearing after the prosecution concluded calling witnesses for murder and manslaughter charges. Similarly, a separate case concerning child abduction and trafficking is also awaiting a defence hearing. The ongoing legal proceedings underscore the immense complexity and horror of this case in Kenya's history.