\n The death toll in an investigation linked to a Kenyan cult that practised starvation to \"meet Jesus Christ\" has surpassed 300 after 19 new bodies were found Tuesday, a senior official said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Police believe most of the bodies found in a forest near the Indian Ocean town of Malindi belong to followers of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, a taxi driver-turned-preacher who has been in police custody since April 14.\n<\/p>\n
\n He is due to face charges of \"terrorism\" in the case which has rocked the east African nation.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The death toll has now risen to 303 after the 19 bodies were exhumed,\" regional commissioner Rhoda Onyancha said.\n<\/p>\n
\n The toll remains provisional, and the authorities in the East African country fear the true number of dead could be much higher.\n<\/p>\n
\n The search for mass graves is still under way in the Shakahola forest, where the first victims -- some dead, others alive but weakened and emaciated -- were discovered on April 13.\n<\/p>\n
\n Since then, the series of grim discoveries has revealed a macabre scandal, dubbed the \"Shakahola forest massacre\".\n<\/p>\n
\n Investigations have been extended beyond the original 325 hectares to cover almost 15,000 hectares. More than 600 people have been reported missing by concerned relatives.\n<\/p>\n
\n Police believe that most of the bodies exhumed were those of followers of the Good News International Church, an evangelical sect founded in 2003 by the self-proclaimed \"pastor\" Mackenzie, who advocated fasting until death in order to \"meet Jesus\".\n<\/p>\n
\n The 50-year-old founder of the Good News International Church turned himself in on April 14 after police acting on a tip-off first entered Shakahola forest.\n<\/p>\n
\n While starvation appears to be the main cause of death, some of the victims -- including children -- were strangled, beaten or suffocated, according to chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Attempted suicide' -\n<\/p>\n
\n Questions have been raised about how Mackenzie, a father of seven, managed to evade law enforcement despite a history of extremism and previous legal cases.\n<\/p>\n
\n The horrific saga has stunned Kenyans and led President William Ruto to set up a commission of inquiry into the deaths and a task force to review regulations governing religious bodies.\n<\/p>\n
\n Another pastor accused of links to Mackenzie and to the bodies found in the forest was released on bail at a court hearing.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ezekiel Odero, a high-profile and wealthy televangelist, is being investigated on a raft of charges including murder, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalisation, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud and money laundering.\n<\/p>\n
\n In all, at least 35 people suspected of involvement have been arrested, according to police who say 95 of the church's followers have been recovered alive since the start of operations.\n<\/p>\n
\n On Monday, 65 of them were brought before a court in the city of Mombasa to face charges of \"attempted suicide\", because they refused to eat or drink.\n<\/p>\n
\n Prosecutors have asked that they be detained, so that they can be examined and forced to eat.\n<\/p>\n
\n A court decision is expected on Thursday.\n<\/p>\n
\n The death cult case has rekindled debate on the regulation of religious worship in this predominantly Christian country, which has 4,000 \"churches\", according to official figures.\n<\/p>\n
\n Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki has announced that the authorities were going to turn the Shakahola forest into a \"place of remembrance... so that Kenyans and the world will not forget what happened\".<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The death toll in an investigation linked to a Kenyan cult that practised starvation to \"meet Jesus Christ\" has surpassed 300 after 19 new bodies were found Tuesday, a senior official said. Police believe most of the bodies found in a forest near the Indian Ocean town of Malindi belong to followers of Paul Nthenge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-118017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n