Paul Ntenge McKenzie, who founded Good News International Church in 2003, is to be charged with 'terrorism' after hundreds of bodies were found in the Shakahol forest. Photo: Anadolu
Dozens of Kenyan doomsday hunger cultists have been accused of attempting suicide as they still refuse to eat after being rescued.
About 65 people have been put on trial since how they continued to refuse food while being treated at a state-run cult rescue center.
Police found about 320 bodies in mass graves on land used by an evangelical church, where the acolytes were allegedly told to starve themselves to meet Jesus.
At least 600 more followers are missing and it is expected that that the death toll will rise. The deaths raised urgent questions about how the church was allowed to continue as it faced repeated complaints and investigations.
The New York Times reported that malnourished survivors, weakened by hunger, were put on trial in Mombasa, where they were charged with attempting suicide. It was reported that several people struggled to get up or stay awake during the trial.
Some were so weak that they had to be supported by the police as they walked into the courtroom.
Police and local residents load the exhumed bodies of alleged victims of the church onto the back of a truck in the village of Shakahol. Photo: AP
Attempting suicide is a crime in the East African country under a law dating back to the colonial period. . The maximum penalty for the crime is two years in prison, regardless of the state of mental health of the accused.
Judge Joe Omido has ordered the victims to be returned to the rescue center for counseling and psychological evaluation, with another court hearing scheduled at the end of the month. One defendant who refused to comply was imprisoned.
The Kenya National Human Rights Commission condemned the allegations.
Roselyn Odede, chairman of the commission, said: «Charging survivors of a suicide attempt is inappropriate.» . and re-traumatizes survivors at a time when they most desperately need empathy, intense psychosocial care, rehabilitation, and community support.”
“Sending them to our already overcrowded prisons will further exacerbate their plight, including adverse mental health consequences,” she added.
Authorities say while his followers are fasting, church founder Paul Ntenge McKenzie < /p>
Mr. McKenzie, a taxi driver turned preacher who founded Good News International Church in 2003, is to be charged with «terrorism» after bodies were found in Shakahol Forest, near cities in the Indian Ocean. Malindi.
He denies ordering his followers to starve themselves.
Authorities say that while his followers continue to refuse food, church founder Paul Ntenge Mackenzie (left) is eating. Photo: Anadolu
Many of the victims exhumed were children, and autopsy showed that while starvation was the main cause of death, some victims were strangled, beaten or suffocated.
Police have expanded their search to cover nearly 40,000 acres of forest as they search for new graves.
Authorities are facing questions about why the church has been allowed to operate after repeated concerns have been raised about its operation, including that she teaches extremism and encourages children to drop out of school.
Another pastor is accused of links to Mr Mackenzie and the bodies in the woods are being investigated on charges including murder, kidnapping and money laundering. Ezekiel Odero, a well-known and wealthy televangelist, is on bail and denies the allegations.
The case has rocked the country and sparked debate about the regulation of worship in the country, where official figures record some 4,000 «churches.»
Kenyan President William Ruto has pledged to set up a commission to investigate the deaths and a task force to revise the rules governing religious organizations.
Kithure Kindiki, Minister of the Interior, has announced that the authorities are going to turn the Shakahol forest into a «place of remembrance» … so that Kenyans and the world will not forget what happened.”
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