Sixty-five survivors of a Kenyan starvation cult, who were rescued from the Shakahola Forest, are facing charges of attempted suicide after refusing to eat meals provided at the rescue center where they had been transferred.
Thus, earlier this week, state prosecutors applied to the court to have the survivors remanded in prison as the center could no longer hold them. A ruling on the application will be issued later in the week.
It was noted that those facing suicide charges are expected to undergo mental and medical assessments.
Several members who are in police custody have been reportedly on a hunger strike since June 4. Local media reported that the prosecutors are seeking to have them subjected to forced feeding.
The 65 survivors are believed to be followers of Pastor Paul Mackenzie, the alleged cult leader who is said toconvince his congregants to fast to death in order to reach heaven. Mackenzie, who was a cab driver before becoming a preacher, is the founder of the Good News International Church.
The pastor was arrested on April 14 after authorities visited the Shakahola forest, located near the town of Malindi on the Indian Ocean, and started investigation into the deaths of his followers. The same month, the police began to exhume bodies from shallow graves in the remote forest.
After the remains of 19 more people were discovered last week, the death toll connected to the "Shakahola Massacre" rose to 303. Hundreds more are reported to be missing.
Last week, Kenya's Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki stated that the government is planning to transform the Shakahola forest into a national memorial site. The forest is expected to be turned into a place of "solace and remembrance for those affected" as soon as the rescue operation and the recovery of bodies is over.