Shakahola Cult Case: Death Toll Reaches 73
The death toll in a case involving a Kenyan cult that practiced starvation rose to 73 on Monday, police sources told AFP, as investigators uncovered additional bodies from mass graves in a forest near the coast.
Dozens of bodies were exhumed over the weekend near the coastal town of Malindi, sending shockwaves through the country as President William Ruto vowed to crack down on “unacceptable” religious movements.
The Good News International Church and its leader, identified in court documents as Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, are the subject of a comprehensive investigation. Nthenge preached that death by starvation was the only way for believers to reach God.
Previously, police had identified the suspect as Makenzie Nthenge.
It is believed that some of his followers may still be hiding in the bush near Shakahola, which was raided by police earlier this month following a tip from a local nonprofit organization.
Since then, several people have been rescued and dozens of bodies have been exhumed from shallow mass graves.
“As of this evening, we have recovered 73 bodies from the forest, and the operation will continue tomorrow,” a police officer involved in the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity.
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“It is a very tragic situation that these people died and were buried in shallow graves, as we discovered six bodies crammed into one grave today,” he said.
A second senior police official confirmed the death toll, stating, “Some of the bodies were still in the forest and had not been buried.”
Monday’s site visit by police chief Japhet Koome revealed that the death toll had previously reached 58.
Crime scenes include a 325-hectare (800-acre) forest. As teams in overalls search for additional burial sites and potential cult survivors.
Ruto, speaking in the neighboring county of Kiambu, stated that there was “no difference” between arrested and awaiting trial pastors like Nthenge and terrorists.
“Terrorists employ religion to justify their heinous acts. People like Mr. Mackenzie use religion for precisely the same purpose.”
“I have instructed the responsible agencies to investigate the matter and determine the root cause and motivation behind the activities of… individuals who wish to use religion to advance a bizarre and intolerable ideology.”
“Developing horror”
Authorities are investigating how the cult was able to operate undetected. Even though Nthenge had attracted police attention six years prior.
“The unfolding horror of the Shakahola cult deaths should and must serve as a wake-up call to the nation. Particularly the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and our community policing program,” said Senate Speaker Amason Jeffah Kingi in a statement.
“How did such a heinous crime, organized and carried out over an extended period, slip under the radar of our intelligence system?”
Nthenge arrested in 2017 on charges of “radicalization.” After urging parents not to send their children to school, citing the Bible’s disapproval of education.
According to local media, he arrested again last month after two children starved to death in his parents’ custody.
He released on 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($700) bail before turning himself in after the Shakahola raid.
According to Koome, fourteen additional individuals are in custody in connection with the deaths at Shakahola. The court will hear the case on May 2.
Fears for adherents
There is concern that some members are hiding from authorities in the surrounding bushland. And could perish if they are not quickly located.
Hussein Khalid, a member of the rights organization Haki Africa who alerted the police to the church’s actions, stated that one of the rescued individuals refused to eat despite being in obvious physical distress.
“As soon as she was brought here, she adamantly refused to receive first aid and she closed her mouth tightly. Essentially refusing to be assisted and wishing to continue her fast until she died,” he told AFP.
The Kenya Red Cross reports that 212 people are missing to its Malindi staff. Of which two reunited with their families.
In a country with a history of self-proclaimed pastors and movements that become involved in criminal activity. This case has prompted the government to highlight the need for tighter control of fringe denominations.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, who announced he would visit the site on Tuesday. Described the situation as “the most egregious violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of worship.”
However, efforts to regulate religion in the predominantly Christian nation strongly opposed. As attempts to undermine constitutional protections for the separation of church and state.
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