Kenyan authorities have pulled up at least twenty-one dead bodies of alleged followers of Christian cult leader Paul Makenzie Nthenge from their graves in Malindi, a coastal town in the country’s southeast.
The Pastor allegedly ordered his followers to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus.”
Dead children were among those excavated, and authorities said they expected to uncover more dead, according to BBC News.
The shallow graves are in Shakahola jungle, where 15 members of the Good News International Church were rescued last week.
According to Kenya Broadcasting Station (KBC), 58 burials have so far been identified, with deceased infants among those excavated.
Meanwhile, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, the founder of the church, also known as the “cult leader”, though in police custody, has denied any wrongdoing.
Nthenge was arrested on April 15 after four bodies suspected of having starved themselves to death were discovered by the police.
The preacher was said to have instructed his congregation to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus”.
“In one grave, investigators found the bodies of three children with their father on one side and their mother on the other side. Another grave contained the bodies of a woman and a girl, both facing each other. All appeared to have died in recent weeks,” a police source told AFP news agency.
“Police have identified at least 58 suspected graves on the grounds of the Good News International Church, raising fears that the death toll will rise significantly. One Kenyan media outlet reported that more than 100 people may have been buried in the graves.
“We have not even scratched the surface which gives a clear indication that we are likely to get more bodies by the end of this exercise.”