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Death Toll In Kenyan Starvation Cult Exceeds 300 as 19 New Bodies Are Discovered

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie (L), who set up the Good News International Church in 2003 and is accused of inciting cult followers to starve to death to meet Jesus, talks to his relatives as he appeared in the dock, at the Shanzu law courts in Mombasa on May 5, 2023
The tragedy has been named the "Shakahola Massacre" by Kenyan media. Many cult members are believed to have starved to death, although other victims, including children, were reportedly beaten or strangled, and some victims reportedly had their organs taken.
Sputnik
After the remains of 19 more people were discovered on Tuesday, the death toll connected to a Kenyan cult that practiced starvation to "meet Jesus Christ" exceeded 300, Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha said.

"The death toll has now risen to 303 after the 19 bodies were exhumed," the official stated.

The majority of the remains discovered in a jungle near the town of Malindi on the Indian Ocean, according to police, belonged to followers of the so-called pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie.
Mackenzie, who was a cab driver before he became a preacher, is the founder of the Good News International Church and he gave himself up after authorities visited Shakahola forest on 14 April on receipt of a tip-off.
He has been in police custody ever since and will probably be charged with "terrorism" in the scandal that has shaken the east African nation.
Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie (C) who set up the Good News International Church in 2003 and is accused of inciting cult followers to starve to death to meet Jesus, appears at the Shanzu law courts in Mombasa on May 5, 2023.
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According to the country's Chief Government Pathologist, Johansen Oduor, although malnutrition appears to be the primary cause of death, some of the deceased, including children, were strangled, beaten, or smothered.
There have been concerns about how Mackenzie, a father of seven, avoided being apprehended despite having a history of radicalism and previous legal troubles.
The story has shocked Kenyans and prompted President William Ruto to form a task group to review laws controlling religious organizations as well as a commission to investigate the killings.
At a hearing in court, another pastor - who had been accused of having connections with Mackenzie and the corpses discovered in the forest - was granted bail.