4 rescued, body and human remains recovered in suspected cult incident in Chakama Forest
By Ascah Mwango, July 20, 2025Four people have been rescued, and three confirmed dead in a suspected cult fasting incident in Chakama Forest, Kilifi County. The chilling discovery was made on a remote five-acre piece of land, located just a few kilometres from Shakahola Forest, the site of Kenya’s deadliest cult massacre.
The police launched an investigation after reports of suspicious religious activities in the area. During the search, police found three women and one man alive, although weak and severely malnourished.
“Three women and a man were rescued. The man was fairly okay. The police did a search on that farm, roughly five acres, and in the process, they found a dead person who might have died like two days ago,” Kilifi County Commissioner Joseph Biwott said.
In addition to the recently deceased body, police recovered two sets of human remains, believed to have decomposed over time. All three are suspected to be victims of cult-related fasting.
A police report revealed that two of those rescued, a husband and wife, had been reported missing at Siaya Police Station on April 15, 2025.
The couple was last seen in March when they reportedly left home with their six children. The children were not among the rescued, raising fears that they could still be missing in the forest or may have perished.
Police have since declared the area a crime scene. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are expected to begin a thorough sweep of the compound to uncover the full extent of the suspected cult activity.
“We want our DCI to go tomorrow and do an extensive investigation so they can check the whole compound,” Biwott said.
The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2023 Shakahola Massacre, where hundreds died after following the teachings of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie, who convinced his followers to fast to death in the hope of going to heaven. More than 400 bodies were recovered in mass graves during the investigation.
With Chakama Forest now under heavy security surveillance, authorities believe this could be a resurgence or continuation of the deadly fasting cult.