\setupinteraction[state=start]

\usemodule[bib]
\setuppublications[refcommand=authoryears]

\let\NORMALcite\cite
\newif\ifSEEN
\def\cite#1[#2]{\SEENfalse
  \def\processitem##1{\ifSEEN, \else\SEENtrue \fi \NORMALcite[##1]}%
  (\processcommalist[#2]\processitem )} 

\unexpanded\def\dodescriptioncomponent
  {\doifelsedescriptioncomponent
    \nododescriptioncomponent\dododescriptioncomponent}
  
\setupcite[authoryears][compress=no,left=,right=]

\starttext

I can cite single authors, like this \cite[Balachandran2008], and now I
can also do more than one\footnote{but unfortunately I get errors when I
  have citations
  \cite[Balachandran2008]
  in footnotes}%
citation \cite[Balachandran2008,Borzi2002,Bose2007].
\blank
\placepublications

\stoptext