The leader of a cult in Kenya convinced hundreds of people to starve to death under the argument that they could “find Jesus” in doing so. The news, which has shaken the world, was described as “terrorism” by the government of that country.
According to the initial report from the authorities, the people were part of the Good News International Church cult. The followers did not eat food for days after being deceived by their leaders. They were told it was the way to reach “heaven” before the end of the world.
The scandalous situation was denounced by the human rights organization Haki Africa, after several people in the community alerted them to what had been happening for several days. The site of the tragedy is located in the Shakahola forest in the town of Kilifi.
What Happened With the Cult?
At first, the police exhumed 39 bodies, but according to reports, at least 73 people lost their lives, and the number is expected to continue increasing. The Red Cross reported that 112 people were reported missing in the area.
The Haki Africa organization says there are about 60 graves at the site, of which 14 have already been discovered. Even the authorities have stated that among the 29 rescued people, some refused to receive help because they were convinced by the cult’s promise of the imminent “end of the world.”
“When we tried to help a woman by giving her glucose water in a spoon, she completely refused. She didn’t open her mouth and expressed that she didn’t want support. A man told me that he didn’t need me to save him and that he had made the decision in his right mind. He assured me that he knew what he was doing and that we should leave him alone. He told us that we were enemies trying to prevent him from reaching heaven,” said Hussein Khalid, director of Haki Africa, in statements collected by the BBC.
The cult leader, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, has already been arrested by the police. Entire families were buried, and among the people found dead are several minors.
Mackenzie allegedly founded three villages in the forest, then “baptized” the believers and asked them to stop eating to starve to death. The alleged preacher told the police that if they continued to search, they would find more than a thousand people who went to their “encounter with Jesus.”
Kenyan President William Ruto declared that his country is facing an act of “terrorism” and that the cult leader did not belong to any religion. “All these sects that call themselves institutions must be closed as soon as possible. We cannot tolerate people who preach using deceitful sermons that only cause deaths.”
Story originally written in Spanish by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva News.
