Forty-seven bodies have been found dumped in shallow graves after a preacher told them they could "meet Jesus" if they starved themselves to death.

Corpses of children were counted among the dead, but more may be uncovered as exhumations continue, according to Kenyan police.

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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.

Kenya&039;s State broadcaster KBC has branded him a "cult leader" and confirmed that 58 graves have been identified thus far.

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One of the pits contained the bodies of three kids, a mum and a dad, suggesting the entire family starved themselves after being brainwashed that they could "meet Jesus" by foregoing food.

From his cell, Nthenge has denied the charges against him and claims he shuttered his church operation in 2019, but he's been refused bail.

As part of an ongoing investigation, pathologists plan to take DNA samples from the dead to confirm whether the individuals died of starvation.

Nthenge was arrested five days ago after four emaciated bodies were found.

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Victor Kaudo of the Malindi Social Justice Centre told Citizen TV: "When we are in this forest and come to an area where we see a big and tall cross, we know that means more than five people are buried there".

The entire sprawling forest, which stretches across 800 acres of the coastal city of Malindi, has been sealed off and is being treated as a crime scene, according to Kenya&039;s interior minister.

Kenyan daily The Standard reported that Nthenge bestowed the biblical names "Nazareth, Bethlehem and Judea" on three local villages and baptised his followers in ponds.