21 bodies have been dug up on land owned by controversial pastor in Kenya

Twenty-one bodies have so far been found on land owned by a pastor in Kenya who was arrested for telling his followers to fast to death.

Police said more shallow graves have yet to be dug up on the land belonging to pastor Paul Makenzi, who was arrested on April 14 over links to cultism.

Human Rights Activist at Haki Africa, Khalid Hussein, said: "We can't have people who just wake up one day in the name of a calling, to drive people on a suicide path.

"Every church, every mosque, every temple and synagogue must belong to a registered structured framework.

A further four people died after they were discovered starving at the Good News International Church.

The investigation followed a tip-off from member of the public.

"We are calling on multi agency team to come in and comb this 800 acres land," added Hussein. 

"The DCI homicide team are doing excellent work and they should be al lowed to continue with that work. But the police, they need support to comb this 800 acre piece of land, so that we can rescue more, and also maybe unearth more mass graves that could be in any of this area that we are in."

Makenzi has been on hunger strike for the past four days while in police custody.

The pastor has been arrested twice before, in 2019 and in March of this year, in relation to the deaths of children. Each time, he was released on bail and both cases are still proceeding through the court.

Local politicians have urged the court not to release him this time, decrying the spread of cults in the Malindi area.

Cults are common in Kenya which has a largely religious society.