The Kenyan government, through its Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, classified the International Church of the Good News, led by Pastor Paul Mackenzie, as a “criminal organization.”
(Read also: The most dangerous sects in the world: what are they and what crimes are they accused of?).
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 22 (1) of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act, the Minister of the Interior and the National Administration declare that the International Church of the Good News is an organized criminal group for the purposes of Law,” the Ministry of the Interior said in an official notice.
The group, under the direction of Mackenzie, is at the center of the tragic so-called Shakahola massacre, where the remains of approximately 430 members of the congregation, including numerous minors, were discovered, in graves and graves in a forest in Kilifi County.
These faithful, influenced by the religious leader, were convinced to undertake an extreme fast with the promise of a post-mortem encounter with Jesus Christ.
(Keep reading: 'Apocalyptic' cults that led their members to death).
Further investigation revealed that the victims not only succumbed to starvation; Signs of strangulation and asphyxiation were also found in several of the bodies, suggesting that food deprivation was accompanied by other forms of violence.
In Kenya 🇰🇪, 400 cult members died for fasting to see Jesus in what is now known as the “Shakahola massacre.” Another 95 believers survived the starvation. pic.twitter.com/CwC8mZ5gd5
— David Ordaz (@david_ordaz) July 17, 2023
Police reports indicate that many of the devotees were coerced to keep the fast, even when they wanted to give up.
(Of interest: Kenya accuses sect leader of involuntary manslaughter after finding hundreds of bodies).
Mackenzie's arrest took place on April 14 of the previous year. The sect leader has been deprived of liberty along with nearly thirty co-defendants, facing preliminary charges of involuntary manslaughter and terrorism by the Prosecutor's Office.
More news in EL TIEMPO
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Another sect had its followers starving: Police rescued 31 people
This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from EFE, and was reviewed by the journalist and an editor.
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