AFRICA ( Commonwealth Union) _ THE DEATH TOLL from a suspected starvation cult in Kenya has risen to 90, with many of the victims being youngsters, and authorities have reported that the search for bodies is being halted because the morgues are filled.
Kenyans have been outraged by the discovery of mass graves in the Shakahola woodland close to the coastal town of Malindi. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie Nthenge is accused of starving his followers to death and forced them to commit suicide.
There are concerns that additional deaths may be discovered after search teams found 17 bodies today. According to investigators, the bulk of those killed in what has been nicknamed the “Shakahola Forest Massacre” were youngsters.
The majority-Christian nation of Kenya’s government has committed to crack down on outlawing religious organizations. According to three sources familiar with the investigation, the majority of the victims were children, underscoring the horrific nature of the cult’s alleged tactics, which included telling parents to starve their children. He claimed that between 50 and 60 percent of the victims were kids whose bodies were discovered wrapped in cotton shrouds.
Intolerable ideologies
William Ruto, the president of Kenya, promised to take action against misguided pastors like Nthenge “who want to use religion to advance weird, unacceptable ideology” and likened them to terrorists. Questions about how the cult managed to function unnoticed despite Nthenge drawing police attention six years ago have surfaced as the investigation progresses.
The televangelist was detained in 2017 on suspicion of radicalization after he advised parents not to send their kids to school, claiming that the Bible did not recognize education. According to local media, Nthenge was detained once more last month when two kids died of starvation while in their parents’ care.
After the Shakahola raid, he was released on 100,000 Kenyan shillings (€672) bail and turned himself in to police. On May 2, Nthenge is scheduled to appear in court. Two of the 212 people reported missing to the Kenya Red Cross’ support workers in Malindi have been reunited with their families, according to the organization.
In a nation with a worrying history of self-declared pastors and cults that have dabbled in criminality, the case has triggered calls for stronger monitoring of all religions.
