Kenya, followers of a church let themselves die of hunger

Until now, 21 bodies have been found by the Kenyan authorities, but there could be many more dead discovered in the Shakahola forest, near the coastal city of Malindi, on which the police are questioning. Whole families have been found in some graves, it is suspected that they are members of a religious sect whose chief preacher would have organized a mass suicide. Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, a spiritual leader arrested and indicted for what happened, ended up under accusation. State broadcaster KBC described him as a "cult leader". "We have just started the excavation work and this makes us think that there are really many victims," an anonymous police source told AFP. Prosecutors believe that Nthenge convinced his followers to starve to "meet Jesus". On April 14, 11 people who follow his cult were taken to hospital. At that point the police raided the forest where they discovered the graves. In some ponds, according to reports from The Standard, the leader baptized his followers and then asked them to fast. According to the information gathered, the preacher changed the name of three villages to Nazareth, Bethlehem and Judea. The police had already arrested him a month ago when two children died of starvation while in the hands of their parents. The man was later released on bail.