At least 109 victims believed to have starved themselves to death on pastor’s orders have been found since mid-April
NAIROBI, Kenya
Forensic examinations have begun on the mass graves connected to a cult in Kenya, the country’s interior minister said on Monday.
At least 109 bodies have been found since mid-April during investigations into a cult run by Paul Mackenzie, a pastor who leads the Good News International Church.
The pastor is accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death.
The bodies were discovered from mass graves on his ranch hidden in the Shakahola Forest in eastern Kenya.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki reached the coastal town of Malindi on Monday, where pathologists started conducting autopsies on dozens of bodies.
Johansen Oduor, the government’s chief pathologist, is leading the team carrying out the examinations.
“This exercise will enable the state to gather more forensic evidence, key in building a watertight case against the perpetrators of the heinous atrocity and deliver justice to the families and friends of the victims,” Kindiki told reporters.
