A Kenyan cult leader accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death appeared in court on Tuesday as investigators searched for more bodies in a forest in eastern Kenya where 101 corpses have already been unearthed.
Kenyan authorities say the dead were members of the Good News International Church led by Paul Mackenzie, 50, who hadon April 15 and ordered his followers to kill themselves to be the first to go to heaven.
Mackenzie, who is in police custody, has not commented publicly on the accusations against him nor been required to enter a plea to any criminal charge. Two lawyers acting for him have declined to comment.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Autopsies begin on bodies of Kenyan cult members who starved themselves to deathPathologists started autopsies on more than 100 bodies linked to a Kenyan religious cult whose leader allegedly instructed them to starve themselves to death in order to go to heaven.
Read more »
Autopsies begin on bodies of Kenyan cult members who starved themselves to deathPathologists started autopsies on Monday on more than 100 bodies linked to a Kenyan religious cult whose leader allegedly instructed them to starve themselves to death in order to be the first to go to heaven, officials said.
Read more »
Initial autopsies show children starved, asphyxiated in Kenyan cultThe bodies of several children exhumed in eastern Kenya showed signs of starvation and in some cases asphyxiation, a government pathologist said on Monday, as investigators began the first autopsies on over 100 people linked to a doomsday cult.
Read more »
Kenyan pastor to face terrorism charges over cult massacreThe deeply religious Christian-majority country has been stunned by the discovery of mass graves last month in a forest near the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi.
Read more »
Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas - SABC NewsKenyan police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition resumed anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause.
Read more »
Kenyan Opposition Leader Odinga Renews Cost of Living RiotsAzimio leader Raila Odinga supporters in Kisumu have defied his orders that demonstrations against the cost of living be concentrated in the capital city of Nairobi, reports Capital FM. The supporters blocked roads as early as 7AM, paralyzing transport in the lakeside city. Rawlings Okoth, a tout, said they withdrew matatu services to be in solidarity with Odinga. Businesses including supermarkets, banks and other mini shopping malls remain shut. Local leaders have kept off the demonstrators whose numbers continue to grow in leaps and bounds. Several Azimio members of parliament have been teargassed outside Harambee House while trying to hand a petition to the Office of the President. The petition included the four thematic areas raised by the opposition coalition including high cost living, forensic audit of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers, reinstatement of the Cherera four and reconstitution of the electoral agency. President William Ruto slammed the protests, calling them undemocratic. Speaking during the Labour Day celebrations at Nairobi's Uhuru Gardens, Ruto reiterated that there is no room for opposition leaders in government even as proposed parliamentary-led bi-partisan talks appear to have hit a dead end. Ruto maintains that he will execute his role of protecting the lives and property of Kenyans as he issued a warning shot to the Azimio coalition against causing chaos or destruction of property. Ruto has stated that he urged Odinga to pursue peaceful means to address any grievances through the proposed bi-partisan parliamentary process, but the opposition chief has opted to stage demonstrations instead. At the beginning of April 2023, Odinga called off the demonstrations to give room for dialogue between the two opposing sides. The resumption of rallies and protests has thrown the planned bipartisan talks proposed by Ruto into disarray. The two leaders are locked in a tussle on the reconstitution of the electoral commission
Read more »