The death toll from the Shakahola cult has risen to 403 after DCI homicide detectives exhumed 12 more bodies on Monday.
The bodies were discovered in five graves located in an area believed to be the “church” where the followers of pastor Paul Makenzi would gather for prayers and meetings over the weekends.
A short distance from where the bodies were recovered, the detectives also came across a disturbing scene where children were allegedly tied with ropes and subjected to starvation until their demise within the confines of the forest.
Investigators found several pieces of ropes and clothes that are believed to have been used for restraining and binding the children.
”Most detectives will tell you they have seen it all. It’s the nature of the job to be exposed to virtually everything Kenya has to offer – from the weird to the hilarious to the disturbing. But Shakahola is a different kind of evil,” a detective told reporters.
The detectives mentioned that the exhumation is expected to take significantly longer than initially anticipated due to the continuous discovery of new graves on a daily basis.
”At the beginning of the week,we had 40 new mass graves. But we keep on stumbling on new graves; sometimes we find graves even where we pitch our tents,” added the detective.
Meanwhile, the Coast regional commissioner, Ms. Rhoda Onyancha, said the number of individuals rescued remains at 95, while the arrests made in connection with the case have reached a total of 37.
”Our forensic team was able to exhume 12 bodies today but we have not reported any rescue,” said Onyancha, adding that the search is ongoing.
”Those reported to be missing by their loved ones still remain at 613,” the commissioner said.
Rhoda Onyancha also revealed that the number of individuals who have undergone DNA sampling stands at 253.
