It is believed that some of his devotees may still be hiding in the bushes around Shakhola.
Malindi, Kenya:
The death toll in a case linked to a Kenyan cult rose to 73 on Monday, police sources told AFP, as investigators unearthed more bodies from mass graves in a forest near the coast.
A major search is underway near the coastal town of Malindi, where dozens of bodies were exhumed over the weekend, triggering a nationwide sensation as President William Ruto vowed to crack down on “unacceptable” religious movements .
A full-scale investigation has been launched against the Good News International Church and its leader, named in court documents as Paul McKenzie Enthenge, who preached that death by starvation led followers to God.
Police had previously named the suspect as Mackenzie Nthang.
It is believed that some of his devotees may still be hiding in the bush around Shakhola, which police raided earlier this month following a tip from a local non-profit group.
Since then, many people have been rescued and dozens of bodies have been recovered from mass graves dug in shallow pits.
“As of this evening, we have recovered 73 bodies from the forest and the exercise will continue tomorrow,” a police officer involved in the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“It is a very sad situation how these people were killed and buried in shallow graves because today we found six bodies in one grave,” he said.
Another senior police officer also confirmed the death toll, saying: “Some of the bodies were in the forest and were not even buried.”
The earlier count was 58, according to police chief Japhet Koume, who visited the scene on Monday.
A 325-hectare (800-acre) area of forest has been declared a crime scene as teams wearing overalls search for more burial sites and possible cult survivors.
Ruto, speaking in Nairobi’s neighboring Kiambu County, said there was “no difference” between rogue clerics such as Ntheng – who has been arrested and awaits trial – and terrorists.
“Terrorists use religion to further their heinous acts. People like Mr Mackenzie are using religion to do the exact same thing.”
“I have directed the responsible agencies to take up the matter and get to the bottom of the root cause and activities of those… people who want to use religion to push a strange, unacceptable ideology.”
‘Unfolding Horror’
As authorities attempt to uncover the true scale of what is being dubbed the “Shakahola Forest Massacre”, questions have arisen about how the cult has been able to operate despite attracting police attention six years ago. Was able
Senate Speaker Amasan Jefah Kingi said, “The appalling nature of the Shakahola cult deaths should be a wake-up call to the nation and in particular to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and our community policing program.” in a statement.
“How did such heinous crimes, organized and executed over a long period of time, escape the radar of our intelligence?”
Nthenge was arrested in 2017 on charges of “radicalism” after urging families not to send their children to school, saying that the education was not recognized by the Bible.
He was arrested again last month after two children starved to death in their parents’ custody, according to local media.
He was released on bail of 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($700) before surrendering to police following the Shakhola raid.
According to Koome, 14 other people are also in custody in connection with the Shakhola deaths. The matter is to be heard on May 2.
fear for followers
There are fears that some members may be hiding from authorities in the surrounding bushland and may be at risk of death if not found quickly.
Hussain Khalid, a member of the rights group Haqi Africa, who informed police about the church’s action, said that one of the rescued had refused to eat despite being in obvious physical pain.
“The moment she was brought here, she absolutely refused to receive first aid and she tightly shut her mouth, basically refusing to get help, until she died,” he told AFP. Till then she wanted to continue her fast.”
The Kenya Red Cross said 212 people had been reported missing to its support staff in Malindi, of whom two had been reunited with their families.
The case has prompted the government to flag the need for tighter control of fringe sects in a country with a history of self-proclaimed clergy and movements engaging in crime.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, who has announced he will visit the site on Tuesday, described the case as “the most blatant abuse of the constitutionally enshrined human right of freedom of worship”.
But efforts to regulate religion in the majority-Christian country have been fiercely opposed in the past as attempts to undermine constitutional guarantees for the separation of church and state.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)