By Oyintari Ben
On Monday, pathologists began performing autopsies on more than 100 victims connected to a Kenyan religious cult whose leader is accused of ordering members to starve to death so they would be the first to enter paradise, according to officials.
It is reported that 109 Good News International Church members—located in east Kenya’s Shakahola Forest—have passed away.
Since April 21, authorities have discovered 101 bodies in shallow graves, while eight cult members were found alive but died later.
Forty-four people have been rescued at this point.
The number of fatalities is among the worst cult-related tragedies in recent memory. Additional deaths are anticipated, given that, according to the Kenyan Red Cross, more than 300 people have been reported missing.
Since April 14, Paul Mackenzie, the cult’s leader, and 14 other members have been detained by the police. According to Kenyan media, he is denying himself food and drink.
Mackenzie has not offered any public commentary.
According to Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki on Friday, the majority of the dead that have been found so far are children.
Johansen Oduor, Chief Government Pathologist, will oversee the postmortem investigations.
He said at a press conference that the autopsies would be performed in teams.
Kindiki stated that all possibilities, including victims who had missing organs, would be examined during the autopsies.
Oduor claimed that the government was gathering DNA evidence from people who had reported missing relatives and that DNA matching would take at least a month.
President William Ruto announced on Sunday that he would name a judicial committee of inquiry this week to look into what transpired in Shakahola.
