The leader of a religious movement is said to have told his followers to starve themselves. Police launched an investigation after the first bodies were found last week.
In the eastern Kenyan city of Malindi, authorities said on Sunday that they had already found a total of 47 bodies in a case that is believed to be related to the activities of a religious movement.
– Today we have unearthed 26 new bodies, and thus the total number of bodies found will rise to 47, says the head of the criminal investigation Charles Kamau.
He said that apart from the bodies, the search will also continue to find the survivors of the cult. Police launched a search operation after the first bodies were found last week.
The Shakahola forest area near the town of Malindi has been cordoned off for the duration of the search operation.
The case has initiated a full-scale criminal investigation against the Good News International Church movement. The police have already arrested the manager of the store Makenzie Nthengen. He is said to have told his followers to starve themselves so they could “meet Jesus”.
The shop manager was released on bail
According to local media, Nthenge reported himself to the police and was charged last month after two children died in their parents’ custody. Nthenge was later released on bail.
According to local media, the police have also arrested six of Nthenge’s followers.
One member of the store found by the authorities had refused to eat, even though his condition was clearly weak, he said Hussein Khalid human rights organization Haki from Africa. The organization had given the police a tip about the store’s activities.
– When he was brought here, he completely refused first aid and closed his mouth tightly. He simply refused to get help and wanted to continue fasting until his death, Khalid told news agency AFP.
Khalid thinks that some members of the movement are still hiding from the authorities in a nearby forest.
He called on the Kenyan government to send troops to help in the search to find the members of the movement before they starve to death.
Kenya’s Minister of Home Affairs Kithure Kindikin security forces have already been sent to the scene, as the 325-hectare Shakahola forest, declared a crime scene, has been isolated.
Sources: AFP, Reuters