Autopsies begin on over 100 dead bodies of Christian cult members in Kenya who starved to death

In Kenya, over 100 bodies linked to a religious cult have been subjected to autopsies by pathologists. The Good News International Church, based in the Shakahola Forest of eastern Kenya, lost 109 members after the group's leader, Paul Mackenzie, allegedly instructed them to starve themselves to death to be the first to go to heaven. The authorities have recovered 101 bodies from shallow graves since April 21, with eight cult members found alive but died later. So far, 44 people have been rescued.

Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor, who is leading the postmortem examinations, said the autopsies will be done in teams, DNA samples will be collected from those who have reported missing relatives, and the matching will take at least a month. The autopsies will look at all possibilities, including whether some bodies had missing organs.

More cult members suspected to be hiding

This event is referred to as the Shakahola Forest Massacre by government officials, and the deaths amount to one of the worst cult-related tragedies in recent history. The Kenyan Red Cross has reported that over 300 people are missing, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Hussein Khalid, a member of Haki Africa, the rights group that tipped off the police to the actions of the church, believes that some church members are still hiding from the authorities in the nearby forest.

He has called on the government to send soldiers to help with the search so believers could be found before they starve themselves to death. “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,” Khalid said.

Cult leader Paul Mackenzie in police custody

Cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14, held alongside 14 cult members. Local media have reported that he is refusing food and water.

However, Mackenzie has made no public comment, and two lawyers acting for him have declined to comment on the accusations against him. President William Ruto Sunday said he would appoint a judicial commission of inquiry this week to investigate what happened in Shakahola.

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