Dozens of Bodies of Suspected ‘Starvation Cult’ Members Found in Mass Graves

The death toll from members of a suspected religious cult in Kenya who starved themselves to death in order to “meet Jesus” has risen to nearly 90, as President William Ruto compared the deaths to terrorism. 

The search for more victims, which have included children, will continue across at least 14 mass graves in the ​​Shakahola forest near the southeastern coastal town of Malindi. According to authorities, more than 100 people have been reported missing. 

The suspected cult members are part of the Good News International Church, which is led by pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge. The pastor, who is accused of encouraging his congregation to starve to death, is already in custody after turning himself in early this month when police discovered four members of his church, including two children, had died after going without food and water for several days. Around 20 more people have been found alive but seriously emaciated.

In brief remarks on Monday, President Ruto likened the cult to a terrorist organisation.

“What we are seeing in Kilifi in Shakahola is akin to terrorism,” Ruto said. “Terrorists use religion to advance their heinous acts. People like him are using religion to do exactly the same thing. Those responsible for religious groups that preach against the tenets of the Constitution, seeking medical attention or going to school will be prosecuted and the institutions closed down because they are working against the interests of the people of Kenya.”

Kenya’s interior minister, Kindiki Kithure, who is expected to visit the site on Tuesday, has also condemned the church and called for tighter regulations of all formal religious institutions. 

“The unfolding Shakahola Forest Massacre is the clearest abuse of the constitutionally enshrined human right to freedom of worship,” Kithure wrote on Twitter. “Large-scale crimes under Kenyan law, as well as international law, have been committed. While the State remains respectful of religious freedom, this horrendous blight on our consience [SIC] must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity on so many innocent souls, but tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue going forward.”

Police began their investigations into the church and Nthenge after receiving an anonymous tip-off from a member of the public.

HAKI Africa, a Kenya-based human rights group which says  it has been monitoring reports of the group’s activity for months, has called for the government to offer support for survivors and the wider community. 

“HAKI Africa calls for urgent psychosocial support for the victims, officers, journalists and activists who are witnessing the Shakahola horror,” the group wrote on Twitter. 

The group’s executive director, Hussein Khalid, wants the government to investigate how the church was able to convince so many to starve themselves. “I have many years' experience in the human rights field but nothing prepares you for a case of hundreds on a mass suicide spree,” Khalid wrote on Twiiter. “How were all these people convinced to do this?”