Government authorities in Kenya continue search operations as suspect related to the mysterious cult deaths dies in custody
A suspect in the mass deaths case in Kenya died in custody after a hunger strike while two more remain critical. The Government authorities in Kenya have been conducting phased search operations in order to find the remains of 336 people who died mysteriously following the dictates of accused religious cult leader Mackenzie.
Kenya is still in shock following the mass death of 336 people in Shakahola forest. A 30-year-old suspect, Joseph Juma Buyuka, has died of complications from a hunger strike while in custody as police continue to investigate the case. Two other suspects, Evans Sirya and Fredrick Karimi, are critically ill in the same hospital. The government-authorized rescue began on April 13 after two children were reported to have starved and suffocated to death by their parents on Mackenzie’s advice on March 16 and 17.
So far, the death toll from the mass starvation episode has hit 336. At least 93 bodies were retrieved in the 10-day third phase of the exhumation exercise that started on June 6 and stopped on June 16. Mackenzie, the head of the Good News International Church, is at the heart of what the Kenyan government officials have termed a “massacre”. He has been accused of indoctrinating his followers, asking them to abandon “earthly life” and meet at his farm in a village called Shakahola in Kilifi county for a fast “to meet Jesus”, leading to the mass deaths. The Kenyan government has not released any statement regarding Mackenzie’s case, and so far no one has been charged.
Rescue of survivors and exhumation of the dead is continuing in phases. The morgues in the area have surpassed their capacity, prompting the postmortem and transfer of bodies in phases. The prosecutor in the Mackenzie case, Jami Yamina, filed a medical report on the progress of the 30 suspects in custody on Wednesday. The suspects are currently held in a government prison and will be force-fed food. Yamina also informed the court that a postmortem report would be presented after the autopsy on Buyuka is concluded. Kenya is still reeling from the devastating aftermath of the mass starvation incident. The government is yet to make a statement concerning Mackenzie’s case and no one has yet been charged for the deaths. It is hoped that justice will be served in the case, and that those responsible will be held accountable for the lives lost. The general sentiment amongst the public is of dissatisfaction and alienation with the Government given the delay in prosecuting and charging the self styled godman Mackenzie.