Fasting cult causes uproar in Kenya

The above statistics are only provisional, and officials in this East African nation fear the actual death toll could be much higher. Excavations of mass graves are still underway in the Shakahola forest (Malindi province, Kenya), where the first victims were discovered on April 13. By the end of May, more than 600 people were still missing.

Kenyan officials exhume bodies in the Shakahola forest.

According to Johansen Oduor, a Kenyan government pathologist, while starvation appears to be the primary cause of death, some victims, including children, showed signs of strangulation, beatings, and organ removal. Police believe most of the exhumed bodies belonged to members of a cult that encouraged followers to starve themselves to death in order to enter heaven, founded in 2003 by a man named Paul Nthenge Mackenzie.

Who is the cult leader who forces followers to "starve to death" in order to enter heaven?

Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14 on terrorism charges. However, many questions remain unanswered about how he, a former taxi driver, evaded law enforcement despite his prior history of extremism. Residents of Malindi told The Washington Post that they first heard about Mackenzie around 2017. At that time, Mackenzie was accused of inciting children to skip school and was later arrested in connection with the deaths of children in a church he founded. In 2019, Malindi residents burned down Mackenzie's "church."

At least 35 people suspected of being linked to Mackenzie have been arrested. Among them, Ezekiel Odero, a pastor close to Mackenzie, is also under investigation for charges including murder, aiding suicide, kidnapping, radicalization, crimes against humanity, cruelty to children, fraud, and money laundering.

The shocking case has reignited debate over related regulations in Kenya, a country with as many as 4,000 self-established "churches" run by various sects. President William Ruto has ordered the formation of a special commission to review regulations governing religious organizations in the country.

From cults that fast to death, a look back at the tragedies of mass deaths caused by fanaticism.

In other developments, Kenyan Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said that after the search for survivors and bodies concludes, a ceremony will be held in the Shakahola forest and the government will turn the area into a national memorial so that Kenya and the world will not forget what happened, according to The Washington Post.

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