MOMBASA: The hearing of the Kwa Binzaro manslaughter case commenced today before the Mombasa Law Court, where Paul Mackenzie, the prime suspect linked to the Kwa Binzaro Massacre investigations, appeared alongside seven co-accused persons charged in a matter arising from the recovery of bodies and human remains from Kwa Binzaro in Kilifi County.
The prosecution, led by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Mr. Jami Yamina and assisted by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ms. Ngina Mutua, called two witnesses who testified on the documentation and recovery of evidence at the scene.
Testifying before Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Eric Wambo, the first witness, a land surveyor, Mr. Michael Mwaria told the court that he was part of a multi-agency team comprising government and private sector experts deployed to map out the area.
He explained that the team discovered several homesteads within the site, including temporary structures, and that his role was to conduct spatial documentation by capturing coordinates, including northings and eastings, and assigning field identifiers to key locations, such as grave data, to aid the investigation process.
He told the court that the scene of the crime in Kwa Binzaro was approximately four (4) kilometers from the famous Shakahola forest.
The second witness, Senior Sergeant Livingstone Lihanda, a crime scene officer attached to DCI Vihiga under the forensic investigations unit, testified on the documentation and recovery of evidence at Kwa Binzaro.
The witness painted a vivid image of the scene of the massacre by producing photographic images of dead bodies, exhumation, and autopsy processes.
He told the magistrate that he had recorded and documented all recoveries made throughout the operation.
He testified that a total of 28 bodies were documented, with remains discovered in varying conditions.
He told the court that some were whole bodies, while others were skeletal remains exhumed from shallow graves.
In other cases, body parts were found scattered on the surface, with some bones piled over others.
He added that some graves were one (1) foot deep and some contained more than one (1) body.
He further explained that each recovery was carefully photographed and documented to preserve the integrity of the scene and support forensic examination.
He added that through a process of association, recovered body parts were analyzed and linked to reconstruct individual bodies for purposes of identification in conjunction with exhumation and post-mortem examination processes.
It is alleged that on an unknown date between January and July 2025 at the Kwa Binzaro area in the Chakama location of Magarini Sub-County within Kilifi County, in pursuance of a suicide pact, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie alias Mtumishi alias Nabii alias Papaa and five others are alleged to have jointly murdered known and unknown adults/children of identified and unidentified gender and determined or undetermined age contrary to Section 202 as read with Section 205 of the Penal Code.
The case will continue tomorrow, with two protected witnesses testifying.
