The number of bodies buried in the land owned by Malindi 'pastor' Paul Mackenzie, who was arrested last week by the police and remanded in custody without the possibility of being released on bail, for inducing the followers of his sect to fast, persuading them to abstain from food in order 'to be able to see Jesus', has risen to 39. In the village of Shakaola, in the Malindian hinterland, families had gathered from all over Kenya. A father, mother and two children were found in a pit.
We had written a few days ago about this aberrant affair, which was the result of naivety and ignorance, but also of the persuasive capacity of a self-proclaimed man of faith who was completely crazy and who had opened the 'Good News International Church', a sort of church where he gathered the faithful, even using a YouTube channel.
The exhumation of the bodies is still ongoing, with the police assuming there may still be victims. During the investigation, a woman in critical condition was also found, who begged her rescuers to let her die.
In a statement shared on his official social media accounts, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki called the massacre of Mackenzie's cult members 'the clearest abuse of the constitutionally enshrined human right to freedom of religion'.
He called for stricter regulation of religious entities, including churches, mosques, temples and synagogues across the country.
Meanwhile, police reported on Saturday that Mackenzie is on hunger strike.
He said he refused to take even a glass of water, claiming that he is fasting and praying.