[Curiosities] Mass ‘Starvation Suicide’ in Kenya Sparks Horror, Shock

[BirSaNN]

Kenyan police have rescued from starvation about 44 members of the Christian cult.

Rabat - The case of a cult-related crime in Kenya is  sparking horror, shock, and frustration across the world.

On Monday, health experts started carrying autopsies on over 100 bodies of members of a religious cult who starved themselves to death at the request of their pastor.

Authorities in Kenya have recovered 101 bodies from graves since April 21. Other members of the same religious cult  died later, while 44 people have been rescued, according to Al Jazzeera.

The bodies recovered are mostly of children, Interor Minister in Kenya Kithure Kindiski said last week.

The cult members starved themselves at the request of the cult leader, who allegedly instructed them to starve themselves to death to be among the “first to go to heaven.”

The members are followers of the Good News International Church located in the Shakahola Forest in eastern Kenya.

 “We are going to be dog the autopsies in teams,” Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor told the press on Monday.

He added that the government collected DNA samples from people that were reported missing by relatives.

DNA samples will be matched during a process, which would take at least a month. 

Autopsies on dead bodies will also consider whether organs are missing. 

Efforts are ongoing to recover other potential bodies.

A hospital staff who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the pastor had an “elaborate plan of killing children, youths, and then adults, telling them he would be the last one to starve himself to death.”

Catholic bishops condemned the heinous mass starvation, describing it as a serious violation of human rights.

The pastor has been identified as Paul Mackenzie, with news reports suggesting he  “had been in trouble with the authorities for allegedly radicalizing children while demanding they leave school.”

He also instructed some of his followers to leave their jobs.

link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/05/355253/mass-starvation-suicide-in-kenya-sparks-horror-shock