Carolyne Odour, a 40-year-old mother from Busia County, Kenya, is facing unbearable grief and fear after discovering the body of her husband, Samuel Owino Owoyo, linked to the infamous Shakahola starvation cult, while her two youngest sons, Daniel (12) and Elijah (9), remain missing.
Ms Odour told the BBC that her husband, a follower of self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie, disappeared with the boys in June, claiming he was taking them to his home village. Instead, she later discovered he had travelled more than 900km to Kwa Binzaro in Kilifi County, near the Shakahola Forest, where over 400 bodies were unearthed in 2023 in what became known as one of the world’s deadliest cult massacres.
Her husband’s decomposed body was found on 19 July during a police raid near a suspected cult hideout in Kwa Binzaro. Authorities reported that he appeared to have been strangled, echoing allegations that some cult members who resisted starvation were killed by force. Ms Odour confirmed his identity at the Malindi mortuary but is still awaiting DNA test results on over 30 newly exhumed bodies to determine if her sons are among the victims.
The cult’s leader, Pastor Paul Mackenzie, is currently on trial, accused of urging his followers to fast to death to “reach heaven faster.” Survivors and investigations have also raised concerns that Mackenzie has continued to influence his followers from prison.
Ms Odour says her husband became radicalised about five years ago, abandoning school and medical care for their six children under the cult’s teachings. “He didn’t want the kids to go to school, and when they fell sick, he said God would heal them. He really believed those teachings,” she explained.
The tragedy has sparked a fresh wave of horror in Kenya, where police have so far exhumed 32 bodies and recovered more than 70 body parts in the latest phase of investigations. Authorities have arrested 11 suspects, including followers of Mackenzie, while exhumations have temporarily been halted to allow forensic experts to analyse the remains.
The government has promised tougher action to regulate religious organisations. Dr Raymond Omollo of the Ministry of Interior confirmed plans for a new religious bill to set standards for leadership, registration, and accountability of faith-based groups in order to prevent further exploitation and extremism.
For Ms Odour, however, the reforms come too late. She remains tormented by the uncertainty over her missing sons. “Every time I see children in school uniforms, I feel pain because of their absence. I don’t know if my boys are alive or buried somewhere in that forest,” she said.
Local communities have also been deeply affected, with residents of Kwa Binzaro barred from accessing the forest a vital source of firewood and charcoal, until investigations are complete.
The Shakahola starvation cult massacre continues to haunt Kenya, raising urgent questions about radicalisation, accountability, and the protection of vulnerable families from destructive religious movements.
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