Nairobi — The number of missing people in pastor Paul Mackenzie’s Shakahola forest cult has risen to 212, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).
The organisation stated that out of those missing, 99 are male while 113 are female.
It however pointed out that two people were succesfully rescued and reunited with their families.
“Following the incident in Shakahola, Kilifi County where several followers of the Good News International religious sect have died, the Kenya Red Cross Society has joined the multi-agency team providing various humanitarian services,” it stated.
Investigators on Tuesday exhumed 10 more bodies from mass graves linked to a starvation cult, bringing the total number of victims to 83.
The 10 bodies recovered in the Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi included three children, as fatalities mount in connection to the cult led by Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who urged his followers to starve to death in order to find God.
The exhumation exercise took place ahead of a visit to the area by interior Cabinet Secretary who is charing a security meeting before proceeding to the scene.
CS Kindiki is the third national government official to tour the area after Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome and the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji.
Multi-agency security team has discovered shallow graves on the 800-acre parcel of land that is believed to be owned by the controversial pastor of Good News International Church.
Kindiki emphasized that tighter regulations on religious institutions must be put in place moving forward to hinder such atrocities that affect innocent Kenyans.
Although his church was shut down in 2019, Mackenzie has continued to attract the masses through his preaching of the ‘end times and fasting to go to heaven.’