Police dig up 29 more bodies from ‘starvation cult’ forest

Grieving relatives of di cult victims for di Kenyan coastal town of Kilifi

Reuters
Grieving relatives of di cult victims for di Kenyan coastal town of Kilifi

Kenyan police don comot di highest number of bodies for one single day from one forest for Kilifi, Kenya coastal region, wey dey linked to one controversial doomsday cult.

Twenty-nine more bodies na im dem dig up on Friday.

So far, dem don confam 179 pipo wey dem believe to be members of di Good News International Church dead, weda from starvation, strangulation or blunt force trauma.

Di more wey forensic teams dey dig, di more body dem dey find. One shallow grave get 12 body wey dem pack togeda.

Di Kenya Red Cross say 609 pipo wey dem report to be members of di doomsday cult wey Paul Mackenzie dey lead, still dey miss.

Pastor Mackenzie say im close down im church four years ago afta nearly two decades of operation.

But di BBC don uncover hundreds of im sermons wey still dey available online, e be like e record some of dem afta di date.

For one interview wit Kenya Daily Nation newspaper few weeks ago, Pastor Mackenzie also deny say im force im followers to fast.

Di number of missing cult members don triple since di ogbonge rescue and digging operation start for late April.

Kenya Attorney General don admit say di state fail to protect di alleged victims.

Di cult leader still dey police custody. Dem neva charge am.

One Kenyan magistrate bin rule on Tuesday say im and 17 odas including im wife, go dey highly at risk if dem release dem on bond.

Di state prosecution bin want make dem hold Mackenzie and im co-accused for 90 days. Di court grant 30 instead.

Di magistrate wey hear im case say im still dey on trial.

How di mata reach here

Di mata come to light for April wen police find di deadi bodi of four pipo and almost 12 land for hospital for Kilifi county for Kenya, afta dem rescue dem,

Dem say di group wey dem find for inside forest bin dey stay dia for many days afta one local pastor tell dem say make dem fast as dem dey “wait to meet Jesus”.

Di authorities say dem rescue 11 pipo, six of dem don tin finish and dey critical condition.

Police come start to look for more members of di group di following day afta reports say more pipo still dey di forest.

For March, di pastor, Paul McKenzie Nthenge bin enta heavy wahala and land for inside court afta one couple starve dia two pikin to death.

Di couple na im followers for di church and tori be say dem starve and suffocate two of dia three pikin wey dem get because dis same pastor tell dem say make dem fast to death because bad tins go soon come for world.

Di couple bin come carry di children bury for shallow graves for Kilifi. Police say na di last surviving pikin bin dey tell dem all dis gist.

Report say, di plan na to let all di pikin dem die first, den di women afta di men go come follow before di world spoil finish.

Nthenge don jam head with police plenti times on top say im bin dey ginger im congregation to disobey authorities.

For 2017, one of di arrest im chop na say im no give im three pikin dem beta education.

Which kain message McKenzie di preach to im congregation wey starve?

Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie bin tok say e close down im Good News International Church four years ago afta nearly nearly 20 years of operation.

But BBC don uncover hundreds of im sermons wey still dey available online, some wey be like say e record afta e shut down di church.

Which kain picture e paint of di man wey im followers starve themselves to death?

‘Make no-one turn back’

Na wit a passionate voice, Pastor Mackenzie dey deliver im sermons to large congregations wey dey under di power of im apocalyptic themes.

“We go soon win di battle… make no-one turn back… di journey go soon end,” one banner across di screen read.

One series of videos for im church YouTube channel get di caption: “End Time Kids” and e show groups of young children wey dey deliver messages to di camera.

Oda messages na exorcisms, wia im followers – mostly women – go dey roll for ground as e “torment” di demonic forces inside dem.

Dis YouTube channels get thousands of subscribers and one Facebook page wey im church set up, dey share links to many of di videos.

E no dey clear wen dem feem di sermon, but reference dey to one upcoming preaching event by Pastor Mackenzie for Nairobi for January 2020, wey contradict im claim say e don end im preaching activities di previous year.

‘Children dey cry because dem dey hungry, make dem die’

Former members of di church don claim say dem dey force dem to fast as part of di church teachings.

No direct evidence for di dozens of videos we don see show wia Pastor Mackenzie directly order pipo to fast, but plenty references dey to wia e tell im followers say make dem sacrifice wetin dem hold dear, including dia lives.

“E get pipo wey no even wan preach [about] Jesus. Dem say dia children dey cry because dem dey hungry, make dem die. Problem dey for dia?”

For one interview wit di Kenyan Nation newspaper a few weeks ago, Pastor Mackenzie bin deny say im force im followers to fast.

“E get house or enclosure or one fence somewia for di farm wey dem don see wia pipo fit dey locked up?” e reply wen di reporter ask am about dis.

Doctors dey serve a different God

E bin also encourage mothers say make dem no seek medical attention during childbirth and make dem no vaccinate dia children.

For one of di videos, one woman narrate how she help deliver a baby through prayer and without di need for a caesarean section, she add say she later receive “warning” from di holy spirit to warn her neighbour against vaccinating her child.

Di pastor come echo her sentiments say vaccines no dey necessary, e claim say doctors dey “serve a different God”.

He also discourage women say make dem no plait dia hair, wear wigs plus ornaments.