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Over 600 Cult Victims Still Missing as Kenya Exhumes More Bodies

The discovery of 12 more bodies in an investigation linked to a Kenyan cult on Monday 17 July brings the total number of fatalities in the cult starvation mass grave site to over 400, reports Capital FM.

Since the start of the operation, the government has made 45 arrests and successfully rescued 95 people associated with the Shakahola starvation cult led by controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church.

To assist in the identification of victims' families, the government has collected a total of 93 DNA samples.

Currently, 19 families have been identified, while the number of individuals reported missing by their relatives stands at 613.

The government has further revealed plans to open security roads in every 100 acres of the Chakama Ranch as part of a comprehensive effort to aid in the systematic and scientific search and rescue operations, including the identifying of graves.

The government is also planning to convert Shakahola Forest site into a national memorial site.

Sixty-five people rescued from the Shakahola Forest on June 12 have been arraigned in court for attempting to kill themselves, by refusing to eat while at the Sajahanadi Rescue Centre in Mtwapa.

InFocus

National Police Service Kenya/Twitter

Exhumation of Shakahola cult members' bodies (file photo).

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