In the heart of Kenya’s Shakahola Forest, the horrors of Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s contentious activities continue to unfold. The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) has disclosed an alarming update on the number of missing persons associated with the Good News International religious sect, led by the controversial pastor. The latest figures reveal that 212 individuals have been reported missing, with 99 males and 113 females among them. Meanwhile, the death toll has reached a staggering 90 as more bodies are exhumed from Mackenzie’s vast estate.
The KRCS has stepped in to provide essential humanitarian services, working alongside a multi-agency team in response to this harrowing incident. The organization has established a tracing desk to process and locate missing persons. In a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos, two individuals have been found and reunited with their families, as the rescue mission presses forward.
On the fifth day of the operation, the number of exhumed bodies climbed to 90 after the discovery of 17 additional corpses. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have been granted permission to exhume all bodies found on Mackenzie’s sprawling 800-acre farm in the Shakahola forest. Initially, investigators had been granted an exhumation order for only 16 graves. However, with the increasing discoveries of human remains on the property, an open exhumation order has now been issued.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki confirmed in Kilifi that 34 members of the Good News International Church have been arrested in connection with the chilling case. As the investigation progresses, the nation anxiously awaits further developments, grappling with the grim reality of this unfolding tragedy