More Bodies Recovered in Kenya Church; Red Cross Says 178 Missing

Kenyan authorities have recovered at least 50 bodies of Good News International Church members believed to have starved themselves to death. The death toll is expected to rise as the Kenya Red Cross said 178 members of the church were reported missing.

Hassan Musa, the Kenya Red Cross regional manager for the Coast region, said there were still 178 people missing and the organisation is working closely with the government and other stakeholders to see if they can identify the missing while also dealing with the number of bodies.

Kenyan security forces and residents of the coastal town of Malindi continue to recover the bodies of people who were following the teachings of Good News International Church pastor Paul Makenzi.

Kenya’s inspector general of police, Japhet Koome, said an additional 11 bodies were exhumed from Makenzi’s land in Shakahola forest on Monday. He said 29 people were rescued.

Authorities have recovered 50 bodies from the Shakahola forest since then. According to reports, Makenzi was arrested more than a week ago after four of his followers died of starvation, thinking it was a way to meet Jesus.