Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has publicly named Ms Sharleen Temba as the ringleader of the Kwa Binzaro cult deaths in Malindi, Kilifi County.
Ms Tembe is among 11 people after the police obtained an order to detain them pending the completion of the probe into activities of the cult.
Others in custody are Jairus Otieno Odere and his wife, Lian Akinyi, who lost their six children to the cult. The children’s death lifted the lid on the activities of the cult.
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The rest are Kahonzi Katana, Loice Zawadi, Safari Kenga, Karisa Fondo, Gona Charo Kalama, Kahindi Kazungu, Thomas Mukonwe, and James Kahindi.
Speaking after he toured the village where at least 32 bodies have been retrieved from mass graves, Kanja said the investigations will reveal how Ms Tembe organised the cult.
He said that detectives have also collected 102 human body parts scattered inside the thicket near the five-acre Kwa Binzaro village.
“One Sharleen is identified as the ringleader, along with four others. However, I don’t want to say much about that because investigations are ongoing.” Kanja disclosed.
We have sent our best teams here, and they will send us a complete investigation file, he added.
Kanja, accompanied by Mohamed Amin, the Director of Criminal Investigations, and senior commanders from Nairobi, stated,
“We have come to Kwa Binzaro to gain a clearer understanding of the activities the team has been undertaking.”
By the time of his visit, the team had exhumed 32 bodies and recovered two more, bringing the total to 34, along with 2 body parts.
All have since been transferred to the Malindi subcounty mortuary for forensic examination as investigators attempt the painstaking task of piecing identities together.
“102 body parts have been recovered in this area, which by now is a scene of crime, and all of them have been taken to the mortuary pending further examinations,” he said.
The Inspector General acknowledged the scope of the operation, describing Chakama Ranch, where Kwa Binzaro lies, as “a very expansive area; it is a forested area, over 50,000 hectares of land.”
He added, “Therefore, it is essential for all of us to unite to address this issue.”
Kanja has also stated that a security team has been deployed to patrol the area and to ensure that an incident of this magnitude does not occur again. He emphasised that the success of the operation relies on shared responsibility.
“From the word go, I said we want to work as a team, we want to work as a multi-agency, we want to engage everybody from intelligence collection, the community, the leadership from the community, and everybody else,” he said.
“We are aware that many of the people brought here are not locals; they were procured from far places, radicalised, and died,” he said.
This comes as the government shifts its focus to postmortem and DNA analysis in an effort to identify the victims.
A multi-agency team, composed of pathologists, morticians, and homicide detectives, is in the process of holding discussions.
The discussions led by homicide director Martin Nyuguto are guiding the next stage of the operation, which involves postmortem and DNA collections to determine the cause of death and assist in identifying victims.
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Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has publicly named Ms Sharleen Temba as the ringleader of the
Kwa Binzaro cult
deaths in Malindi, Kilifi County.
Ms Tembe is among 11 people after the police obtained an order to detain them pending the completion of the probe into activities of the cult.
Others in custody are Jairus Otieno Odere and his wife, Lian Akinyi, who lost their six children to the cult. The children’s death lifted the lid on the activities of the cult.
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
The rest are Kahonzi Katana, Loice Zawadi, Safari Kenga, Karisa Fondo, Gona Charo Kalama, Kahindi Kazungu, Thomas Mukonwe, and James Kahindi.
Speaking after he toured the village where at least 32 bodies have been retrieved from mass graves, Kanja said the investigations will reveal how Ms Tembe organised the cult.
He said that detectives have also collected 102 human body parts scattered inside the thicket near the five-acre Kwa Binzaro village.
“One Sharleen is identified as the ringleader, along with four others. However, I don’t want to say much about that because investigations are ongoing.” Kanja disclosed.
We have sent our best teams here, and they will send us a complete investigation file, he added.
Kanja, accompanied by Mohamed Amin, the Director of Criminal Investigations, and senior commanders from Nairobi, stated,
“We have come to Kwa Binzaro to gain a clearer understanding of the activities the team has been undertaking.”
By the time of his visit, the team had exhumed 32 bodies and recovered two more, bringing the total to 34, along with 2 body parts.
All have since been transferred to the Malindi subcounty mortuary for forensic examination as investigators attempt the painstaking task of piecing identities together.
“102 body parts have been recovered in this area, which by now is a scene of crime, and all of them have been taken to the mortuary pending further examinations,” he said.
The Inspector General acknowledged the scope of the operation, describing Chakama Ranch, where Kwa Binzaro lies, as “a very expansive area; it is a forested area, over 50,000 hectares of land.”
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He added, “Therefore, it is essential for all of us to unite to address this issue.”
Kanja has also stated that a security team has been deployed to patrol the area and to ensure that an incident of this magnitude does not occur again. He emphasised that the success of the operation relies on shared responsibility.
“From the word go, I said we want to work as a team, we want to work as a multi-agency, we want to engage everybody from intelligence collection, the community, the leadership from the community, and everybody else,” he said.
“We are aware that many of the people brought here are not locals; they were procured from far places, radicalised, and died,” he said.
This comes as the government shifts its focus to postmortem and DNA analysis in an effort to identify the victims.
A multi-agency team, composed of pathologists, morticians, and homicide detectives, is in the process of holding discussions.
The discussions led by homicide director Martin Nyuguto are guiding the next stage of the operation, which involves postmortem and DNA collections to determine the cause of death and assist in identifying victims.
[email protected]
Follow The Standard
channel
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By Marion Kithi