Police in eastern Kenya, Monday exhumed ‘another 26’ people amid probe of ‘cult’ whose followers ‘starved themselves to death’, bringing total death toll to 47

On Saturday police sources said 21 bodies had been exhumed in Shakahola forest of Kilifi county, Kenya

Officials earlier reported seven deaths in connection with Paul Nthenge Mackenzie

Prosecutors said ‘This pastor will have to face all these charges even though he has gone on a hunger strike saying that he is praying and fasting in custody’

Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church allegedly, told followers to starve themselves in order to ‘meet Jesus’

Homicide detectives Thursday marked out patches of earth with sticks and yellow tape in Shakahola forest in Kilifi county

Patches were near the location where police rescued 15 members of the Good News International Church last week,

He was arrested after the shallow graves belonged to at least 31 of his followers

Eleven of the 15 followers of the church, ages 17 to 49, rescued on April 14, were transported to hospital, three listed as critical

Four of them died before they reached hospital

Twenty-six more bodies have been found by Kenyan police amid a probe into a cult – bringing the number of corpses linked to the movement up to 47 in three days

Beginning Thursday police in Kenya embarked on recovering the remains belong to members of a Christian cult named as Good News International Church, who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves to death. Authorities said the cult leader instructed followers to starve themselves to to ‘meet Jesus’. 
Making the announcement Monday, Charles Kamau, head of criminal investigations in Malindi, eastern Kenya, said: ‘Today we have exhumed 26 more bodies and this brings the total number of bodies from that place to 47.’ 
By Saturday officials exhumed 21 bodies while investigating the cult whose followers are believed to have starved themselves to death.

Self-styled spiritual leader, who was once a controversial televangelist, Paul Nthenge McKenzie [photo], leader of the Good News International Church in eastern Kenya, was arrested for murder after allegedly, instructing followers to starve themselves to ‘meet Jesus’

On Saturday Kenyan police forensic teams have exhumed 21 bodies while investigating the cult whose followers are believed to have starved themselves to death to ‘meet Jesus’

The forensic team members laid out the exhumed bodies of victims of the religious cult in the village of Shakahola, near the coastal city of Malindi, in southern Kenya. 26 more bodies were recovered on Monday  

Prosecutors who accused Nthenge Mackenzie of manipulating locals through skewed extreme religious teachings leading to deaths of many, said he ‘will have to face all these charges even though he has gone on a hunger strike saying that he is praying and fasting in custody’

McKenzie who is facing prosecution for murder claims he shut down the Good News International Church in Malindi [photo], in Malindi, Kenya since 2019

On Thursday, homicide detectives marked out patches of earth with sticks and yellow tape in Shakahola forest in Kilifi county, near the location where police rescued 15 members of the Good News International Church last week, according to footage broadcast by Citizen TV. 
Four of them died before they reached hospital.
Officials earlier reported seven deaths in eastern Kenya in connection with the arrest of Makenzie Nthenge, a pastor who reportedly told followers to starve themselves in order to ‘meet Jesus’.
On Saturday police sources said 21 bodies had been exhumed in Kenya during an investigation into the cult. 
Officials earlier reported seven deaths in connection with the probe following the arrest of Makenzie Nthenge, who reportedly told followers to starve themselves in order to ‘meet Jesus’.

Police and local residents lend a hand in loading the exhumed bodies of the ‘heaven seeking’ members of the Good News International Church, into the back of a truck

Nthenge, leader of the Good News International Church, turned himself in to police and was charged last month, according to local media, after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents.
He was later released on bail of 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($700).
Police reported his arrest on April 15 after discovering the bodies of four of Nthenge’s followers. Kenyan police said on Friday that they had exhumed three other bodies.
Eleven other followers of the church – the youngest just 17 – were taken to hospital, three of them in critical condition, after being rescued on April 14.

The recovery team bag exhumed remains from several shallow mass graves discovered in Shakahola forest of Kilifi county, Kenya 

Authorities in Malindi, eastern Kenya, announced Monday that they had exhumed 26 more bodies bringing the total number recovered from to 47 in the course of investigating the cult 

On Saturday police sources had announced that 21 bodies had been exhumed in Shakahola forest of Kilifi county, all members of the cult

Police raided the forest after receiving information of the deaths on ‘ignorant citizens starving to death under the pretext of meeting Jesus after being brainwashed’ by Nthenge. The leader of the church, Nthenge, was arrested following a tip-off that also suggested the existence of shallow graves belonging to at least 31 of Nthenge’s followers.
Local media reported that six of Nthenge’s associates were also arrested.
Titus Katana, a former member of the church, helped police identify the graves.
‘We have shown the graves to the police, and in addition, we have saved the life of a woman who only had a few hours left, otherwise she’d also be dead,’ Katana told Citizen TV.

Personal effects and clothing items littered the forest in Shakahola, Kenya where bodies had been buried in several shallow mass graves

Another police source confirmed the same toll, also on condition of anonymity.
At least three children were among the victims, said one of the sources.
Nthenge, leader of the Good News International Church, turned himself in to police and was charged last month, according to local media, after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents.
He was initially released on bail of 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($700).
But police arrested Nthenge on April 15 after discovering the bodies of four followers whom he reportedly told to starve themselves in order to ‘meet Jesus’.
The case is due to be heard in court on May 2 with an initial hearing on Monday.
‘This pastor will have to face all these charges even though he has gone on a hunger strike saying that he is praying and fasting in custody,’ a police source said.
By Friday Kenyan police said that they had exhumed three other bodies.

Rescue team personnel carry a member rescued from the forest on April 14.. Eleven of the 15 people rescued were hospitalized, with three listed in critical condition. Four died on their way to hospital

Eleven of the 15 followers of the church rescued on April 14, comprised of seven men and four women, ages 17 to 49, were hospitalized with three listed in critical condition. Four died on their way to hospital.
Police raided the forest after receiving information of the deaths on ‘ignorant citizens starving to death under the pretext of meeting Jesus after being brainwashed’ by Nthenge.
Local media reported that six of Nthenge’s associates were also arrested.
Titus Katana, a former member of the church, helped police identify the graves.
‘We have shown the graves to the police, and in addition, we have saved the life of a woman who only had a few hours left, otherwise she’d also be dead,’ Katana told Citizen TV.
Matthew Shipeta from Haki Africa, a human rights group, said he had seen at least 15 shallow graves in the forest.

Officials earlier reported seven deaths in eastern Kenya in connection with the arrest of Paul Nthenge Makenzie, a pastor who reportedly told followers to starve themselves in order to ‘meet Jesus’

Helen Mikali, the manager of a children’s home who was also helping investigators, said she had visited several nearby villages where parents and children had disappeared.
‘Personally I have visited about 18 children’s graves,’ Mikali told Citizen TV.
Last month police arrested and later released Mackenzie, who they identified as Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, for encouraging the parents of two boys to starve and suffocate their children to death.
During a court appearance in that case, Nthenge said he was unaware of the events that led to the deaths of the two boys, adding he was the target of hostile propaganda from some of his former colleagues, The Standard newspaper reported.