MALINDI: The loss of life for a situation including a Kenyan religion that rehearsed starvation increased to 73 Monday, police sources told AFP as examiners uncovered additional cadavers from mass graves in a timberland close to the coast.
Near Malindi, a coastal town where dozens of bodies were exhumed over the weekend, a major search is underway. President William Ruto has promised to take action against "unacceptable" religious movements.
The Good News International Church and its leader, identified in court documents as Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who preached that followers would be redeemed by starvation, have been the subject of a comprehensive investigation.
Makenzie Nthenge had previously been identified by police as the suspect.
Some of his followers may still be hiding in the bush around Shakahola, which police raided earlier this month after receiving a tip from a local nonprofit organization.