Carolyne Odour has told the BBC she desperately fears for the fate of her two young sons who went missing two months ago with their father - a follower of the teachings of a notorious starvation cult leader.
Ms. Odour says that amid an ongoing investigation into more deaths linked to the cult, she has identified her husband's body at a mortuary in the coastal town of Malindi.
His corpse was found in July in the village of Kwa Binzaro, near the remote Shakahola Forest, where more than 400 bodies were uncovered in 2023 in what is now considered one of the worst cases of cult-related mass deaths.
Ms. Odour is currently awaiting DNA test results for over 30 recently unearthed bodies from the forest, fearing daily for her sons' lives.
I felt pain. I barely recognised him. His body was badly decomposing, Ms. Odour, 40, expressed about her husband, Samuel Owino Owoyo.
She believes that her sons, 12-year-old Daniel and nine-year-old Elijah, traveled with their 45-year-old father to Kwa Binzaro at the end of June. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie is currently on trial for what has been dubbed the 'Shakahola Forest Massacre' and has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.
Reports allege that Mackenzie told followers they would reach heaven more quickly if they stopped eating, and there are concerns he remains in contact with followers from jail.
Ms. Odour recalls the changes in her husband's belief system over the past few years, leading to significant tensions regarding their children's education and health: He changed and he didn't want the kids to go to school. When they would fall ill he'd say that God would heal them. He really believed those teachings.
Her husband last contacted her on June 28, when he informed her he was traveling to his home village but instead journeyed with their children to the coast. The last known contact heightened her concerns when he failed to reach out afterward.
Upon investigation, she discovered that he had not gone to his parents' village but had traveled to Kwa Binzaro, where she learned of his involvement with the cult.
In August, she received devastating news about her husband's death, confirmed after traveling to Malindi. Police reports indicated he had been found strangled near a house linked to the cult, amid a backdrop of ongoing criminal investigations that had led to the arrest of multiple cult followers.
As exhumations continue in the area, the reality of the situation weighs heavily on Ms. Odour, who faces the agony of uncertainty over her sons' whereabouts. She mentions, Every time I see a child wearing a uniform, I feel pain because of their absence. I don't know how they are doing.
The government has since pledged to address religious extremism through legislation aimed at tightening controls over religious organizations to prevent similar tragedies.
