Kithure Kindiki, the interior cabinet secretary, said on Thursday that there have already been 241 fatalities associated with the disturbing Shakahola starving cult.
The figure increased after five skeletons were found by search and rescue personnel after the exhumation activity was suspended on May 18th, according to CS Kindiki, who was providing an update on the exhumation operations in Shakahola forest.
The skeletons were discovered by the team on two separate occasions, and he explained that they are among the human remains that would be examined during the postmortem procedure.
He continued by stating that another victim who had been rescued from the jungle passed away yesterday evening in a hospital after refusing to take anything to eat despite attempts to feed them by medical personnel.
Kindiki pointed out, “We tried our best to feed the victim, but because they had already been substantially weakened, it made them succumb.
91 people have been saved so far (including one who passed away in the hospital), and 19 victims have already been reunited with their relatives.
A total of 93 DNA samples have been obtained, and 34 people connected to the incident have been caught, according to CS Kindiki.
More graves have been found, according to CS Kindiki, but they won’t be dug until the postmortem procedure on the 129 victims is finished.
Kindiki clarified that additional unearthed bodies must be able to fit in the mortuary at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital, where the dead are currently being housed.
He stated “Unfortunately, we have evidence of further burials in Shakahola Forest, thus the suspension is supposed to allow this postmortem examination of the 129 dead to ensure that we are able to release this hospital’s mortuary.
The bodies will be moved to a makeshift morgue that has been set up so that further bodies can be collected.
He also promised to expand the search and rescue operation to the nearby Tsavo and Galana Kulalu districts, where he believes additional victims are reportedly escaping.
The operation is being scaled up in terms of technological use. Every millimeter of that space needs to be combed, he said.
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