Kenya cult deaths: 21 bodies found in investigation into 'starvation cult'

Kenyan constabulary person exhumed 21 bodies adjacent the coastal municipality of Malindi, arsenic they analyse a preacher said to person told followers to starve to death.

Dead children were among those exhumed, and constabulary said they expected to find adjacent much bodies.

The shallow graves are successful Shakahola forest, wherever 15 members of the Good News International Church were rescued past week.

Preacher Paul Mackenzie Nthenge is successful custody, pending a tribunal appearance.

State broadcaster KBC described him arsenic a "cult leader", and reported that 58 graves person truthful acold been identified.

Mr Mackenzie has denied wrongdoing, but has been refused bail. He insists that helium unopen down his religion successful 2019.

He allegedly told followers to starve themselves successful bid to "meet Jesus".

The Kenyan regular The Standard said pathologists volition instrumentality DNA samples and behaviour tests to find whether the victims died of starvation.

Police arrested Mr Mackenzie connected 15 April aft discovering the bodies of 4 radical suspected of having starved themselves to death.

Victor Kaudo of the Malindi Social Justice Centre told Citizen TV "when we are successful this wood and travel to an country wherever we spot a large and gangly cross, we cognize that means much than 5 radical are buried there".

The preacher allegedly named 3 villages Nazareth, Bethlehem and Judea and baptised followers successful ponds earlier telling them to fast, The Standard reports.

Kenya is simply a spiritual state and determination person been erstwhile cases of radical being lured into dangerous, unregulated churches oregon cults.