"You Must Starve to Death to Meet Jesus" Coercion
Some Signs of Violence and Asphyxiation Observed
'Shakahola Massacre' Investigation Committee Formed
Traces of organ removal were found on bodies presumed to have died from mass starvation while following the doctrines of a cult in Kenya.
On the 9th (local time), according to foreign media including Daily Nation, Kenyan police unearthed 21 additional bodies in the Shakahola forest spanning 800 acres (approximately 3.237 million square meters) near the 'Good News International Church' in the Indian Ocean coastal city of Malindi.
On the 9th (local time), Kiture Kindiki, Minister of the Interior, who visited the excavation site of the Asa cult victims in Malindi, a local city in Kenya, is seen talking with a forensic expert (second from the left). [Image source=Yonhap News]
This brings the total number of deceased followers to 133. On the same day, 5 people were rescued, making the total number of survivors 68.
Autopsies conducted on the bodies discovered by the police revealed signs of organ removal.
Dr. Johanson Oduor, a pathologist, stated, "The autopsy results suggest starvation as the primary cause of death, but some bodies, including those of children, showed signs of strangulation, beating, or suffocation."
According to documents submitted to the Nairobi court that day, some of the bodies had organs removed, and the police claimed that suspects forcibly extracted body parts.
Chief investigator Martin Munene said, "According to the report, some of the exhumed victims' bodies were missing organs," adding, "It appears that organized human organ trafficking took place."
The investigator also mentioned that Ezekiel Odero, a well-known television evangelist who was arrested last month on charges related to the same incident and recently granted bail, reportedly received large sums of money from the cult leader's followers.
The Nairobi court ordered authorities to freeze more than 20 accounts owned by Odero.
Interior Minister Kiture Kindiki said, "There are still many graves, which is frightening," calling it an "extremely organized crime," and speculated that more bodies would be found.
Earlier, the cult leader of this church, Paul Enenge Mackenzie, was charged for predicting the 15th of last month as 'Judgment Day' and urging followers to "starve to death to meet Jesus," which led to the deaths of the followers.
According to Mackenzie's doctrine, followers fasted and prayed in the forest for periods ranging from a few days to several months, resulting in starvation.
Over 300 missing persons related to the cult have been reported, and among the rescued, some are still refusing water and food, saying they want to "meet Jesus."
Locally, questions have been raised about how Mackenzie, a former taxi driver with a history of extremism and criminal records, managed to evade the law for so long.
President William Ruto promised efforts to regulate local churches and cults involved in crimes and formed an investigative committee for the incident known as the 'Shakahola Massacre.'
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