Police find 26 more bodies connected to Kenyan cult under investigation

Malindi, Kenya: Kenyan police announced Sunday that they had discovered the deaths of an additional 26 alleged cult members in the country’s east, increasing the total number of bodies connected to the movement to 47. An AFP photographer near the seaside town of Malindi observed search workers digging at the scene while wearing white dungarees and masks in search of further victims. White plastic sheets have already been used to cover many bodies. “Today we have exhumed 26 more bodies and this brings the total number of bodies from that place to 47,” said Charles Kamau, the head of criminal investigations in Malindi, eastern Kenya. He said that in addition to looking for remains, survivors of the group were still being sought. Following the discovery of the first bodies last week, police started their operation. Shakahola, a forest in the vicinity of Malindi, has been divided into an 800-acre (325-hectare) region for the search effort. The location will be visited by Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki on Tuesday, according to his announcement. A thorough inquiry into the movement, the Good News International Church, resulted from that. Makenzie Nthenge, the church’s head, has reportedly instructed followers to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus,” and police have already detained her. Nthenge turned himself into police and was charged last month, according to local media, after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents. He has since been released on bail of 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($700). Local media reports say police have arrested another six followers of Nthenge. Members fasting to death One member of the church found by the authorities had refused to eat despite clearly being in physical distress, said Hussein Khalid, a member of Haki Africa, the rights group that tipped off the police to the actions of the church. “The moment she was brought here, she absolutely refused to be administered with first aid and she closed her mouth firmly, basically refusing to be assisted, wanting to continue with her fasting until she dies,” Khalid told AFP. He believed that some members of the church were still hiding from the authorities in the nearby forest. “This signifies the magnitude of this issue, that clearly shows that there are still many who are still out there… and possibly dying every second that passes by.” He called on the government to send troops to help with the search so the believers could be found before they starved themselves to death. But Interior Minister Kindiki tweeted: “Enough security officers have been deployed and the entire 800-acre forest is sealed off and declared a scene of crime.” In his tweet, he also called what he dubbed the “Shakahola Forest Massacre” as “the clearest abuse of the constitutionally enshrined human right to freedom of worship”. “While the State remains respectful of religious freedom,” those responsible should face “severe punishment”, he added. There would have to be “tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue going forward”, he said. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.