Shakahola cult: Death toll rises to 403 after 12 more bodies exhumed

Twelve more bodies were on Monday exhumed at the mass grave site in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County, raising the death toll to 403.

Police are in the fourth phase of exhumation in the ongoing probe into a cult whose members are said to have starved themselves ‘in order to meet Jesus’.

Followers of preacher Paul Mackenzie were buried in the forest located in Chakama Ranch after starving themselves to death.

Coast Regional Commander Rhoda Onyancha told Citizen Digital that so far, 95 people have been rescued, while 258 DNA samples have been collected.

No new arrests have been made in connection with the deaths, thus the total number of arrests remains 37.

The exhumation exercise continues Tuesday.