Police officers conducting exhumations in Shakahola forest have recovered 10 more bodies from the mass graves in Kilifi County where victims of a suspected cult are believed to be buried.
According to Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha, this now brings the death toll from the starvation cult to 360 since phase four of the exhumation kicked off on Monday.
Regional Commissioner Onyancha said that no new arrests have been made in connection with the deaths hence the total number of arrests remains at 37.
She also noted that the number of rescued people so far remains at 95 while the DNA samples collected are at 253.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Professor Kithure Kindiki on Monday said they expect more bodies from the 40 new graves which were identified.
On Tuesday, he told the Senate Ad Hoc committee that the government had no intelligence information on the happenings at Shakahola forest, where over 600 people are still believed to be missing.
The suspected cult is linked to Good News International Church’s controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie, who is accused of brainwashing his followers to starve themselves to death in order to “meet Jesus.”
Mackenzie is still in police custody.
