NAIROBI, April 24 — Kenyan police have now exhumed the bodies of 47 people thought to be followers of a Christian cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves to death.

Police near the coastal town of Malindi started exhuming bodies on Friday from the Shakahola forest.

“In total, 47 people have died at the Shakahola forest,” detective Charles Kamau told Reuters on Sunday.

The exhumations were still ongoing, Kamau said.

Earlier this month, police rescued 15 members of the group — worshippers at the Good News International Church — who they said had been told to starve themselves to death. Four of them died before they reached hospital, police said.

The leader of the church, Paul Mackenzie, was arrested following a tip-off that suggested the existence of shallow graves belonging to at least 31 of Mackenzie’s followers.

Local media, citing police sources, reported that Mackenzie has refused to eat or drink while in police custody.

Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said the entire 800-acre forest had been sealed off and declared a scene of crime.

“This horrendous blight on our conscience must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity on so many innocent souls, but tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue going forward,” he said.

 — Reuters

Kenyan 'cult' leader arrested after starved

bodies found in shallow graves


The flag of Kenya. Photo: Leonid Altman / 123RF

Kenyan police have exhumed 21 bodies near the coastal town of Malindi, as they investigate a preacher said to have told followers to starve to death.

Dead children were among those exhumed, and police said they expected to find even more bodies.

The shallow graves are in Shakahola forest, where 15 members of the Good News International Church were rescued last week.

Preacher Paul Mackenzie Nthenge is in custody, pending a court appearance.

State broadcaster KBC described him as a "cult leader", and reported that 58 graves have so far been identified.

Mr Mackenzie has denied wrongdoing, but has been refused bail. He insists that he shut down his church in 2019.

He allegedly told followers to starve themselves in order to "meet Jesus".

The Kenyan daily The Standard said pathologists will take DNA samples and conduct tests to determine whether the victims died of starvation.

Police arrested Mr Mackenzie on 15 April after discovering the bodies of four people suspected of having starved themselves to death.

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 preacher allegedly named three villages Nazareth, Bethlehem and Judea and baptised followers in ponds before telling them to fast, The Standard reports.

Kenya is a religious country and there have been previous cases of people being lured into dangerous, unregulated churches or cults.

- BBC