Death Toll in Shakahola Starvation Cult Reaches 90 During Kindiki Visit
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki has described the Shakahola cult massacre as a turning point for Kenya in terms of how to deal with security issues caused by religious extremists.
Tuesday afternoon, seven additional bodies, including that of a child, exhumed from a grave in a forest in Shakahola, bringing the total number of cult-related fatalities in Kilifi to 90.
Alone on Tuesday, seventeen bodies were exhumed.
The alleged use of the Bible to kill and cause a massacre was a violation of fundamental freedom rights. “Those who urged others to fast and die were eating and drinking, claiming to be preparing them to meet their creator,” the CS reported after landing at the farm on Tuesday afternoon.
He stated that Mackenzie and his accomplices will have a rendezvous with fate and must pay dearly for the lives lost and suffering they have caused to humanity.
The CS stated that the State is also investigating another cult in Kilifi County suspected of using religion to deceive Kenyans.
“We have expanded our search to include another religious organization in Kilifi.” Prof. Kindiki says, “We have opened a formal investigation into this religious group and are receiving crucial indications that Mackenzie’s actions may only be the tip of the iceberg.”
On Tuesday morning, police discovered ten additional bodies. Believed to be members of a Christian cult who believed they could reach heaven by starving themselves.
ALSO READ: Kindiki recommends genocide charges against Pastor Mackenzie
The total number of deaths attributed to the Paul Mackenzie-led cult now stands at 89. Including the eight victims who perished after being rescued in a police raid that exposed the church’s horrors.
Tuesday, police rescued two severely malnourished women who appeared to be on the verge of death. They rushed to the hospital in Malindi for treatment.
Five of the ten bodies discovered on Tuesday morning were located in a single grave. While the remaining five were located at separate locations.
Since last week, homicide detectives have been searching the 800 acres belonging to Mackenzie for graves.
On April 14, the cult leader arrested after a tip about shallow graves containing his followers.
Mackenize, the leader of the Good News International Church, appeared before Malindi Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Usui on April 17. He is not required to enter a plea. And the prosecution is requesting an additional 30 days to complete their investigation. The judge granted police fourteen days,
He was indicted alongside thirteen others in a case that will be discussed on May 2.
Death Toll in Shakahola Starvation Cult Reaches 90 During Kindiki Visit
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