THE DEATH toll at the Kenyan farm owned by a pastor who ordered his followers to starve themselves has reached 73.

The new figure comes after police exhumed more bodies buried in shallow graves across the  800-acre coastal ranch owned by Pastor Paul Makenzi.

Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi told the Associated Press, 26 new bodies were exhumed from the site on Monday and the total death toll now stands at 73 people.

The total number of those rescued while starving at the ranch now stands at 34.

The Kenya Red Cross Society has said that over 200 people remain missing.  

Last week, four other people died after they and other followers were found starving at the Good News International Church.

Members of the public alerted the police who raided the pastor’s property in Malindi, where they discovered 15 severely malnourished people – including the four who later died.

The followers said they were instructed by the pastor to starve so they could meet Jesus.

Kenya’s Interior minister Kithure Kindiki announced that the investigation on the farm is expanding.

“We have cast the net wider to another religious organisation here in Kilifi. We have opened a formal inquiry on this religious group and we are getting crucial leads that perhaps what was being done by Makenzi is a tip of the iceberg,” Kindiki said.

According to reports, the teams digging at the site have been finding decomposed bodies buried in mass and single graves marked with a cross.

Earlier this week, Kenya’s President William Ruto has called for the alleged perpetrator to be sent to jail.

“What we are seeing in Kilifi, Shakahola is a kin to terrorism. There is no difference between Mr Makenzi who pretends and postures as a pastor when in fact he is a terrible criminal,” he said 

“Terrorist use religion to advance their heinous acts. People like Makenzi are using religion to do the same thing… Let me say for the avoidance of doubt that people like Makenzi and all other terrorists and criminals do not belong to any religion, they belong to jail and that is where they should be.”

The pastor – who is now in police custody – has been on hunger strike for several days.