Kenyan police on Tuesday confirmed that the death toll from the starvation cult has now risen to 73.
Followers of the church were reported to be living in several secluded settlements in an 800-acre area within the Shakahola forest.
Reacting on the incident, Kenyan President William Ruto described Nthenge, the cult leader, as a terrible criminal under the guise of religion.
He said he had instructed relevant agencies to get to the root cause of what had happened and to tackle “people who want to use religion to advance weird, unacceptable ideology in the Republic of Kenya that is causing unnecessary loss of life”.
Corpses of children were counted among the dead, but more may be uncovered as exhumations continue, according to Kenyan police.
The crude graves were found in Shakahola forest, Malindi, where the Good News International Church had been operating, and where 15 members were rescued last week.
The head of the church, Paul Makenzie Nthenge, is in custody awaiting a court date, it said.
Among the victims includes Betty, an air hostess with Qatar Airways who quit her job, sold her land and donated it all to Malindi cult leader Pastor Paul Mackenzie.
Her friends and colleagues are still in shock that she was lured to the “church” in Shakahola, Kilifi County, where police on Sunday exhumed 18 additional bodies bringing the total number of recovered bodies to 39.
The tragic story began when Betty reportedly jetted into Kenya after her son Jason was allegedly forced to fast while she was in Qatar and sadly passed on.
After receiving the news while at work in Qatar, she reportedly came for the burial but was never to be traced again.
CU/abj/APA