Mystery deepens as police exhume 21 more bodies in Malindi vi*lage ranch

Police have exhumed more than 21 bodies of people believed to have starved to death after being brainwashed by a Coast-based pastor believed to be running a cult-like religious organization on his private property in Shakahola Village, Kilifi County.

The search is on for more possible bodies as the Cabinet Minister for the Interior, Kithure Kindiki, directed senior police officers from the region to ramp up investigations and search for more bodies.

“Large-scale crimes under Kenyan law as well as international law have been committed,” the CS said, warning that this will lead “to the severest punishment for the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity”.

Detective from the Homicide Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and other security have been assigned to search for and dig up graves on Pastor Paul Makenzie’s Good News International Church, which is based on his expansive private land in a forested area of Malindi. By yesterday, 21 bodies — including five believed to belong to one family — had been exhumed after officers dug up over 59 suspected graves. In one of the graves, the officers found five bodies piled on top of each other.

“We found a man, woman and three children in one grave. We suspect these could be family members,” one detective told People Daily in a telephone interview.

Discovery of bodies

The discovery of the bodies has shaken Malindi County with people who believe their missing relatives could be among the dead finding their way to the area in the hope of finding any information about their loved ones.

But the rest of the country has been left with more questions that answers. Is there, for instance, a chief or village headman in the area? If there are, were they aware of the deaths? For how long has the indoctrination of the sect’s followers been going on and how many have died?

How come those deaths did not raise suspicions until last month when malnourished worshippers were found and taken to hospital? Are there other churches in the area? If there are, did they take any action on notice suspicious activities at Pastor Mackenzie’s church? Kenyans are expecting the police to answer these and other questions given the human rights implications of the mass deaths that Kindiki described as a “massacre”.

Yesterday, he said he had ordered police to beef up security in Shakahola Forest as the exhumation continues.

“While the State remains respectful of religious freedom, this horrendous blight on our conscience must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity on so many innocent souls, but tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue going forward,” he said.

“While the Multi-agency security team on site is doing their best to unearth the truth and prevent further loss of lives, I have directed the Regional Commissioner for Coast Region together with the Regional Security Team to reinforce the team in Malindi ahead of my visit on Tuesday. Enough security officers have been deployed and the entire 800 acre forest is sealed off and declared a scene of crime”. Pastor Mackenzie’s land is part of the forested area.

Cult following

The cult leader came to the limelight for allegedly influencing his followers to fast to death in order to see Jesus. Some of his followers were found in a state of bad health and had to be taken for specialised care after suffering from severe malnutrition.

Thereafter, the preacher was arrested on April 15 and has been in police custody since the Malindi High Court denied him release on bond. Media reports yesterday indicated that he too, had allegedly embarked on a fasting while in custody.

On Monday, he appeared before Malindi Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Usui but was not required to plead to any charge, with the prosecution seeking 30 more days to hold him as they complete investigations into the case. But with Kindiki now saying that “serious crimes” had been committed, it is likely that the pastor will be charged with murder.

Arraigned in court

When Pastor Mackenzie appeared in court on Monday, he had been arraigned alongside 13 others in the case that will now be mentioned on May 2, about two weeks from now.

The court directed that the cult leader remain in police custody for 14 days alongside six of his followers. The other seven, who the prosecution described as victims — because they had refused to eat even while in police custody — will be held seven days for counseling.

Detectives said Pastor Mackenzie had also started fasting in protest.

“He has not eaten anything since detectives started the operation of marking graves and exhuming bodies in his parcel of land,” said one officer on phone.

Police now suspect that there could be more bodies buried in the pastor’s private property than earlier estimated. Officers have so far rescued 16 followers since the operation started. The survivors told officers that they had been asked to starve themselves to death so that they could see Jesus.

Of those rescued, four died before reaching to Malindi Sub-County hospital — which is about 40 kilometres from Shakahola.

On the day police raided the premises to rescue the survivors, they spotted a shallow grave and the body of a child wrapped in a sheet. The child was less than five years old and police believe he died of starvation.

According to unverified reports, some of the other victims included a male teacher and a female aviation worker. Not all the cults followers are from Malindi or Kilifi, meaning that among those who died could be believers who had travelled from other parts of the country.