Kenya starvation cult death toll exceeds 200

NAIROBI: The death toll in an investigation linked to a Kenyan cult that practised starvation has climbed to 201, as search teams on Saturday unearthed 22 more bodies from a coastal forest, a government official said.

Police believe most of the bodies found in a forest near the Indian Ocean town of Malindi belong to followers of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, a taxi driver-turned-preacher who is accused of inciting them to starve to death “to meet Jesus”.

Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha, who announced the latest figures, said 26 people have been arrested over the deaths, including Mackenzie and an “enforcer gang” tasked with ensuring that no one broke their fast or left the forest hideout alive.