A man was Saturday, April 29 found dead in Shakahola forest, and four people were rescued as a search for victims continued in the probe into cult leader Paul Mackenzie.
Coast Regional Chief Rhoda Onyancha said the four were two female and two male adults.
The number of bodies exhumed from a vast piece of land linked to Mackenzie has hit 109.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki visited the scene Friday and announced the redeployment of all police commanders in Kilifi County, saying this would allow a thorough probe into the cult activities.
He said the commanders were from all levels – division, sub-county, and county – and all services – the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the National Police Service (NPS), and the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro said some police officers who have overstayed in Kilifi and could have been complicit in the cult’s activities should also be transferred.
Pastor Ezekiel Odero and Mackenzie are in custody over the cult practices in the area.
Ezekiel will spend the weekend in custody ahead of a ruling on Tuesday, May 2 on if he should be released on bail or not.
Dozens more bodies are believed to be buried in shallow graves therein.
Some 38 people have been rescued from starvation.
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.
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”.
