Mass exhumations underway as Kenyan cult starvation deaths reach 201

The number of deaths due to the cult in Kenya rose to 201 Saturday as the process of exhumation is underway with 22 new bodies found with signs of strangulation and starvation in Shakahola forest, said police.

Earlier this week, investigators had revealed to the court that 21 bodies found in the exhumation had missing organs and expected more bodies to be found in the coming days.

Since the discovery of the mass graves in April, the bodies of children were also found in the mass graves. 

According to the Police, most of the bodies found near Malindi on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast were followers of self-styled pastor and a cult Paul Nthenge Mackenzie — leader of the Good News International Church, who allegedly told people to starve to death so that they could "meet Jesus".

There are still 600 people missing.

The pastor maintained that he had closed his church in 2019 and moved to his property in a forested area to farm.

The autopsies revealed last week on the hundreds of bodies showed the causes of death that included strangulation, suffocation, and injuries sustained from blunt objects.

Mackenzie, his wife, and other 16 suspects are to appear in court at the end of the month.

The total number of those arrested stood at 26, with 610 people reported as missing by their families, said Coast regional commissioner Rhoda Onyancha Saturday.

"Our forensic team was able to exhume 22 bodies today, but we have not reported any rescue," Onyancha told journalists.

Pastor Mackenzie had allegedly told his followers to starve their children and themselves to death so they could go to heaven before the end of the world — that he predicted was on April 15.

29 more bodies were found from the mass graves including 12 children Friday.

Presidential spokesman Hussein Mohamed said: "William Ruto had also appointed a task force to review regulations governing religious organisations."

While appearing before the court Friday in Mombasa, the prosecutor asked a judge to hold Mackenzie for an additional 90 days as their investigation continued.

The judge was quoted as saying that he would deliver a ruling next Wednesday on the prosecution’s request, ordering Mackenzie to remain in custody until then.

Mackenzie, holding his two-year-old daughter during the hearing, told the media that he and some of his supporters were being refused food in prison.

These were denied by the prosecutors and his lawyer had told the press Tuesday that his client was eating.