Kenya: Over 400 victims of fasting cult beaten to death and strangled

There is no end to the tragedy in Kenya – in the forest of Sakahol, where the followers of the sect gathered, they continue to find the bodies of the dead.

There is no end to the tragedy of hundreds of victims of a sect that called on believers to fast to death. Authorities have exhumed 12 more bodies in the Sakahol Forest, where the sect’s followers used to gather to fast to death, bringing the death toll to over 400 so far.

“Today, Monday, the forensic team managed to identify 12 bodies,” Prefect Ronda Onianda told reporters. The total death toll stands at 403, but authorities believe the death toll will rise further. Searches in this isolated forest area off the coast of Kenya have been underway for nearly three months since the first victims of the so-called “Sakahola forest massacre” were found.

Police believe most of the bodies belong to members of Merciful Vision International Church, founded by self-proclaimed pastor Paul Dengue McKenzie. The former taxi driver, who has been in custody since April 14 and will face trial on “terrorism” charges, has urged believers to fast to death in order to “meet Jesus” before the end of the world. Another 16 people are accused of being his accomplices, as they were instructed to ensure that believers do not break their fast and leave the forest.

An autopsy showed that most of the victims died of starvation. Some, including small children, were strangled or beaten to death. The tragedy shocked Kenya, and the government was heavily criticized for not cracking down on “Pastor” Mackenzie, despite his repeated arrests for his extreme sermons. President William Ruto created a working group to study the legal framework governing the almost 4,000 “churches” operating in the country. The Interior Ministry has announced that the Sakahol forest will be turned into a “memorial site” in memory of the dead.

Source: AP

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