KKenyan authorities discovered three graves with six bodies in the Shakahola forest in Malindi sub-province last Wednesday, and they could not imagine the scale of what was yet to be discovered.
After several days of excavation, the bodies of 47 people, believed to be members of a sect, were found. Shockingly, the death toll may not stop there. There are those who say that Can reach a hundred.
Not only do the authorities find survivors in pitiful conditions, but they also investigate the existence of a mass grave that has yet to be discovered, people who refused to eat because they believed it was the only way to find Jesus.
According to local media, the land that served as the setting for the gruesome discovery is owned by Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, the controversial leader of a religious cult known as the International Gospel Church.
The person was handed over to the police on April 15 and has been detained since then. Kenyan authorities accuse the sect’s followers, who number in the hundreds across the country, of encouraging them to fast until they die to find Jesus.
A man, a woman and three children were buried side by side
On Saturday, after three days of exhumation, five bodies were found “recently wrapped in a sheet” and lying side by side, according to the local press.
According to investigators, a family buried a week ago, a few days before the excavation began.
A man, his wife and their three children lay in a common grave. All will starve in hopes of finding Jesus.
Shakahola Massacre
In response to the tragedy, Kenya’s Home Affairs Minister Kiture Kindiki has admitted to tightening restrictions on religious places of worship.
“What happened in the Shakahola forest massacre is a clear example of abuses in the constitutionally protected space of freedom of worship. (…) A large-scale crime was committed under Kenyan law,” Kiture Kindiki said in a statement.
“While the government continues to respect religious liberties, this brutal attack on our conscience should not only lead to more severe punishment for the perpetrators of this atrocity against so many innocent souls, but also to stricter restrictions on all churches – including self-regulation – in future mosques, temples or synagogues. ,” the minister added.
Gidure Kindiki said he would go to Shakahola on Tuesday as the area of over 300 hectares has been cordoned off and is being investigated as a crime scene.
Paul Mackenzie Nthenge has already been questioned
Pastor Mackenzie was always controversial and had problems with authorities and local leaders, but he never tried to spread his word or was banned.
From 2018 till now, he has been arrested three times, but each time he was released. There are those who say that he bribed the authorities so that the International Church of Good News could be opened.
According to the Nation Africa website, which covered the case, in September 2017, authorities raided the church compound and rescued about 93 children.
Paul McKenzie Nthenge was still taken to court and charged with encouraging the radicalization of minors, but was released on bail of just over €3,500, despite some children revealing they were the target of “satanic education”.
Also Read: Kenya wants to review regulation of places of worship after sectarian tragedy
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