Twelve more bodies have been discovered in Kilifi County’s Shakahola Forest, where hundreds of victims of a suspected starvation cult are thought to have been buried.
According to Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha, 11 of the 12 bodies retrieved on Wednesday were removed from graves, with the last body discovered thrown on the ground.
This raises the total number of bodies recovered from the forest to 145 since the second phase of the exhumation activity began on Tuesday.
The Coast Regional Commissioner stated that 579 persons have been reported missing by their families, some of them are suspected to be members of the cult, as the hunt in the forest continues.
Onyancha also confirmed that two people, both men, had been rescued, increasing the total number of people rescued to 70.
She stated that DNA samples were collected from 93 families, with 14 persons reuniting with their relatives.
As the exhumation process proceeds, the number of arrests in connection with the tragic fatalities remains at 25.
Prof. Kithure Kindiki, Interior Cabinet Secretary, indicated on Tuesday that the government would employ all available resources to determine what happened at Shakahola.
According to the CS, security agencies are still combing the enormous woodland linked to controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie.
