Shakahola starvation cult: Gov’t extends search to Tsavo

The search for survivors and bodies of those who died in the Shakahola starvation cult in Kilifi County will extend to neighbouring Tsavo East National Park, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said Saturday.

He said the government would use drones to complement detectives on the ground even as the ongoing exhumation process at the site of the mass graves stays on hold to allow for the autopsies to be conducted.

"The search for and rescue of survivors within Shakahola Forest and the Chakama Ranch generally will continue uninterrupted and will be extended into the edges of the neighbouring Tsavo East National Park in the coming days using ground and drone search," the minister said in a statement.

“Only the search for graves and exhumation of the victims of the Shakahola Massacre has been suspended to allow for logistical arrangements for the post-mortem examination of the additional 123 bodies recovered in Phase 2 of the exhumation exercise,” he added.

On Friday, one more person was rescued in the Shakahola forest, bringing the total number of people rescued in the incident where Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge of the Good News International Church reportedly instructed members to starve themselves in order to "meet Jesus" to 90.

The government on Thursday suspended the exhumation exercise owing to preparation for the post-mortem examination set to begin Wednesday.

The death toll currently stands at 235.