The death toll related to a suspected starvation cult led by a pastor in Kenya has reached 90, as authorities announced an expanded operation at the ranch owned by the pastor. Police uncovered an additional 17 bodies, increasing the total to 90, and rescued 34 individuals from the ranch.
The Kenya Red Cross Society reported that 213 people were missing.
Authorities accuse Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, the leader of the Good News International church, of enticing his followers to the ranch near Malindi and directing them to fast until death to meet Jesus. He then allegedly buried them in shallow graves on the property. Police arrested Nthenge after a raid on the ranch, and he remains in custody awaiting a court appearance.
Police raided the ranch and arrested the pastor earlier this month, and he is currently in police custody awaiting a court appearance.
Interior minister Kithure Kindiki said the security team will “upscale search and rescue missions to save as many lives as possible”.
While visiting the area, Kindiki declared the entire 800-acre (320-hectare) parcel of land that is part of the Shakahola ranch a disturbed area and an operation zone.
The minister said there would be a turning point on how the country handles threats caused by religious extremism and was looking into another suspected cult in the same county.
“We have cast the net wider to another religious organisation here in Kilifi. We have opened a formal inquiry on this religious group and we are getting crucial leads that perhaps [this] is a tip of the iceberg,” Kindiki said.
Decomposed bodies
The teams digging at the site have found decomposed bodies buried in mass and single graves marked with a cross.
Rescue teams have found that some individuals living in mud-walled houses within the ranch have fled, and so far, they have managed to rescue mostly those who cannot walk or talk.
The Mombasa-based Muslims for Human Rights Group called on the government “to consider the option of using aerial surveillance by use of helicopters to rescue more people and make the process quicker”.
The worst recorded case of alleged “cult” deaths in Kenya.
Police had arrested the pastor twice before, first in 2019 and then in March of this year, in connection to the deaths of children.
Authorities released him on bond on both occasions, and the court is still hearing the cases.
