As part of their investigation into a preacher who allegedly advised followers to starve to death, Kenyan police have excavated 21 dead close to the seaside town of Malindi.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
By Mehran Mazari
Exhumations included dead toddlers, and police said they anticipated finding even more bodies.
15 members of the Good News International Church were rescued last week from shallow graves in Shakahola woodland.
Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge is being held in detention pending his court date.
He was referred to as a "cult leader" by the state radio KBC, which also noted that 58 burials had so far been located.
Three children and their parents are thought to be buried in one of the graves together with two other family members.
Although Mr. Mackenzie has denied any wrongdoing, bail has been denied. He is adamant that his church would close in 2019.
He allegedly advised followers to starve themselves in order to "meet Jesus".
According to the Kenyan newspaper The Standard, pathologists will collect DNA samples and run tests to determine whether the individuals starved to death.
On April 15, after finding the bodies of four people they believed had starved themselves to death, police detained Mr. Mackenzie.
"When we are in this forest and come to an area where we see a big and tall cross, we know that means more than five people are buried there," Victor Kaudo of the Malindi Social Justice Centre told Citizen TV.
According to The Standard, the preacher supposedly called three towns Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Judea, and baptized followers in ponds before instructing them to fast.
