Families in Kenya were only allowed to pick up the bodies of their loved ones who passed away after a fatal fast on Tuesday, March 26. A preacher who exhorted his followers to fast until they die to “meet Jesus” before the end of the world, which he said would occur in August 2023, is responsible for at least 429 deaths that occurred a year ago.
Four bodies were handed over to a family in the city of Malindi, Kenya, announced Johansen Oduor, the head of forensic operations, and Martin Nyuguto, the director of criminal investigations, in a statement. They indicated that other families were expected to receive bodies on Wednesday and Thursday. So far, only 34 bodies have been identified, with over 390 remaining to be identified.
William Ponda retrieved the remains of his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. “It’s a relief to finally have the bodies,” he told AFP. “But it’s also distressing to see that they are just skeletons.”
Exploiting the great naivety of his followers, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, a former taxi driver turned evangelical pastor, led at least 429 Kenyans to starve themselves to death to “meet Jesus.”
The deadly fast, dubbed the “Shakaola Forest Massacre,” was uncovered in April 2023 when Kenyan authorities exhumed hundreds of bodies from a mass grave on the Kenyan coast. All belonged to the International Church of Good News, founded in 2010 by Paul Mackenzie.
However, not all members of this evangelical sect died by divine will, as autopsies revealed that some perished by strangulation, beating, or suffocation. These homicides led to Mackenzie facing charges in Kenyan court for murder, terrorism, and child torture.
The preacher is charged with “terrorism” and “murder” of 191 children, including three infants. He is also accused of “involuntary manslaughter,” “torture,” and “cruelty” to children. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. To protest his detention, he and his co-accused have begun a hunger strike.