The number of deaths in the Shakahola cult probe stands at 89, interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said Tuesday afternoon.
Kindiki added 34 victims have been rescued alive since the operation began almost a week ago.
Three of them were rescued Tuesday.
Kindiki addressed the media at the exhumation scene after teams exhumed 16 more bodies on Tuesday as the exercise went on.
“The teams have been able to exhume 16 more bodies bringing the body count to 89 as of now,” said at 2.30 pm.
He said those rescued are traumatized and hoped they will recover.
He said they are doing all possible to ensure justice in the cult probe.
“The purported use of the Bible to kill people cannot be tolerated. The govt has nothing to hide and will ensure we convict Mackenzie with the most severe punishment available,” he said.
He said they will charge the leader of the cult Paul Mackenzie with serious charges.
“Over and above charging Mr. Mackenzie with terrorism, I am convinced that a case can be built for charging him and his collaborators with genocide.”
Police said they first found 10 bodies in one grave and six others in a separate one Tuesday afternoon.
An autopsy on the bodies is set to start on Thursday, April 27, the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji said.
Kindiki said the pastor and his supporters can be charged with crimes of genocide under international law.
“I want to encourage the Director of Public Prosecution that it is not far-fetched to build a case of terrorism from what we have witnessed from this scene of the crime. It is not impossible,” Kindiki said.
The exhumation went on Tuesday as Kindiki visited the scene.
At least 213 people have been reported missing as the investigation into a macabre cult at Shakahola, Kilifi, continues.
Kenya Red Cross said Tuesday it had set up tracing and counseling desks at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital for the Shakahola response.
At the trading desk, 213 people had been reported missing, among them 112 who are children below 18 years who are suspected to be followers of controversial Malindi Pastor Paul Mackenzie.
Kenya Red Cross Society coast regional coordinator Hassan Musa said they are still receiving more relatives of family members who are looking for their loved ones.
He said the Malindi hospital mortuary is also overwhelmed with the bodies which are currently 90 including the 73 that were brought from Shakahola and those of people who died at the hospital.
Musa said they have also requested a four feet containers from headquarters which will be installed at the morgue to help in preserving the bodies.
” Already the container is on its way coming by evening it will be in Malindi ready for installation,” he said.
Musa said plans are underway to increase more volunteers in Shakahola to help in the rescue mission and exhuming bodies.
Families and relatives of missing loved ones are flocking to the rescue center to trace their loved ones.
Police also rescued people from death by starvation during the period.
The exhumation exercise on the 800-acre land belonging to the cult leader was suspended on Monday due to bad weather.
Mackenzie, who is in police custody, is being investigated for influencing his followers to starve to death in order to meet their maker.
Police also suspect that some of the victims did not starve to death and may have been killed and then buried on the property.
The security teams arrested a man suspected to be a co-mastermind and the lead clergy attached to cult leader Paul Makenzie.
The suspected mastermind, who identified himself as “Pastor Zablon Wa Yesu“, was found while reading a Bible on a section of the expansive 800-acre land owned by Makenzie, police said on Monday.
The suspected mastermind, however, was not fasting.
He told police he was waiting until June so that he would start fasting along with some other men from the Good News International Church.
Mackenzie, is in police custody, as detectives probe the starvation to death of tens of people.
Police also suspect that some of the victims did not starve to death and may have been killed and then buried on the property.
President William Ruto weighed in on the controversial church in Kilifi as shocking deaths by starvation of members of the suspected cult continue to be unearthed.
Ruto said Mackenzie, who is suspected to have brainwashed his congregation into starving to their death is a terrorist and belongs in jail.
“What we are seeing in Kilifi in Shakahola is keen to terrorism, there is no difference. Malkenzie pretends and postures as a pastor when he is a dangerous criminal,” Ruto said.
“People like Paul Mackenzie are using religion to do exactly the same thing.”
Ruto said he has instructed relevant agencies to investigate the matter fully to identify the cause of the matter.
“Any religious group that peaches against the tenets of the constitution, that teaches against seeking medical adoption or going to school should be prosecuted, institutions closed down,” he said.
“People like Makenzie do not belong to any religion, they belong to jail and that is where they should be.”
Mackenzie was arrested on 15 April after discovering the bodies of four people suspected of having starved themselves to death.
This followed a tip-off from a follower at the church.
He has denied wrongdoing but has been refused bail. He insists that he shut down his church in 2019.
The followers say he told them to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus”.