Police admit gaps in response to Kwa Binzaro cult tragedy

Speaking to the media, Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri conceded that despite lessons drawn from the Shakahola tragedy, which shocked the country last year, a similar situation has once again unfolded, raising questions over preparedness and response.

“It is a saddening development. There seems to have been a disconnect between intelligence services, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and the wider administration,” Muchiri said.

He admitted that a mistake was made and pledged to conduct a comprehensive review to establish why such a tragedy recurred. 

Authorities have urged patience as investigations continue, assuring the public that corrective measures will be taken to prevent a repeat of similar failures.

So far, 32 bodies have been discovered from the site, while more than 60 people are feared to have perished after links to the new cult. 

On Thursday, seven more bodies were exhumed and an additional 54 body parts were collected across the forest. 

Government pathologist Richard Njoroge stated that the bodies had not fully decomposed, with a possibility of wild animals digging up some of the shallow graves.

“We have noted that at this particular site the bodies look a bit fresh. They are not fully skeletonized and like last week. The bodies we exhumed last week were full skeletons with no flesh. But the bodies we found here look to have been buried a few months or weeks ago,” said Dr. Njoroge.