Authorities exhumed 12 more bodies on Monday, July 17, raising the death toll to over 400 in connection with the doomsday cult led by Pastor Paul Mackenzie in Kenya.

Pastor Mackenzie, believed to be the chief architect of the Good News International Church in Kenya, is being held by the police along with 36 other suspects. Mackenzie refutes allegations of directing his followers to fast unto death, yet various media have reported on his disturbing instructions.

Distraught relatives have stepped forward, asserting that Mackenzie had asked his followers to abstain from food in readiness for the End of the World slated for April 15. One such relative, Stephen Mwiti, who lost his wife and six children to the cult, shared his concerns, stating Mackenzie had pledged to be the last to survive and to seal the doors. Contrary to Mackenzie’s assertions of dissolving the church four years prior, the cult was purportedly based in a forested region of Malindi, Kenya.

Coast District Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha has verified the current death toll as 403, with DNA testing completed for 253 victims.

The Kenyan Red Cross has managed to save 95 individuals, though they report that 613 persons are still unaccounted for. As the authorities continue to discover mass burial sites, no charges have yet been pressed against any of the suspects in custody. Mackenzie, in custody since April 14, has initiated a hunger strike, denying food and water. Alleged cult member and suspect, Joseph Juma Buyuka, purportedly succumbed in police custody after engaging in a similar fast. 30 other suspects had also been on hunger strike while in custody but most resumed eating after being taken to court for trying to end their lives.

Ex-members of the church divulged that Mackenzie championed fasting as a part of the church’s doctrines, which largely dwelt on apocalyptic narratives. The BBC reported that his sermons revolving around these themes were available online, contradicting Mackenzie’s assertions about the cessation of the church. Despite no clear-cut evidence suggesting that Mackenzie explicitly commanded his followers to fast unto death, the videos suggest a notion of sacrifice, inclusive of life itself. Mackenzie had a previous brush with the law regarding the disappearance of children, although he was later bailed.

In a statement, Kenyan President William Ruto acknowledged the government’s shortcomings in averting these deaths, expressed his deep regret, and promised an exhaustive investigation to bring the culpable to book. President Ruto reassured the nation of involving all necessary agencies in the investigation.