Eighteen new bodies were exhumed on Sunday, April 23rd in eastern Kenya, bringing to more than 39 the number of remains discovered for more than a week in the investigation into the deaths of followers of a sect whose leader said to “fast” to meet Jesus and reach paradise. The case shakes the country so the excavations are not yet finished.
Several more people are likely to be killed in the coming hours: investigators still have more than 300 hectares of Shakahola forest to search. Although some worshippers may still be alive, a woman was found alive on Sunday, April 23rd, but in critical condition, refusing any food aid, according to a source there.
Several families have testified in the Kenyan press and explained that they are following the excavations closely in the hope of hearing from their relatives, and members of the sect.
On Twitter, Kenya’s interior minister called the deaths a “massacre” and said the land was now considered a “crime scene”. Faced with the urgency of the situation, he also planned to go there on Tuesday, April 25th, and announced reinforcements to support the search. The culprits must be “punished”, he insisted, adding that “churches, mosques, temples and synagogues” must be subject to “stricter supervision”.