Shakahola cult death toll rises to 58

The number of people confirmed dead in the Shakahola cult probe in Kilifi County, rose to 58 on Monday afternoon, police said.

Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome told reporters that as of Sunday evening, homicide detectives and pathologists had confirmed 47 people dead while 11 more bodies were exhumed on Monday.

At the same time, 29 people had been rescued alive as police combed through the Shakahola area that has been cordoned off in the wake of the operation.

The cult’s leader, Pastor Paul Makenzie Nthenge of the Good News International Church, allegedly instructed members to starve themselves in order to "meet Jesus."

He was charged last month after two children died of starvation while in their parents' care and he is in custody.