Kenyan Sect Leader Dies in Custody After Hunger Strike, Implicated in Starvation Deaths
A suspect from Kenya, who was a prominent figure in a Christian sect, has passed away while in police custody after a 10-day hunger strike. Joseph Buyuka, along with self-proclaimed Pastor Paul Mackenzie and 28 others, had been accused of instigating the deaths of numerous followers by encouraging them to starve themselves in order to meet Jesus.
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| Photo credit @christianpost.com |
According to CNN, senior prosecutor Jami Yamina stated that Buyuka, Mackenzie, and their associates were implicated in the deaths of 337 church followers. These individuals were detained on charges of orchestrating the deaths and illegally disposing of the victims' bodies in the Shakahola forest, located in southeast Kenya.
Since April, authorities have been exhuming bodies from the forest, with the death toll recently surpassing 300 following the discovery of 19 additional bodies earlier this month, as reported by The Associated Press.
Yamina announced that Buyuka passed away at a hospital in Malindi, a town approximately 72 miles from the port city of Mombasa, where he had been transferred from a nearby prison. His death was allegedly a result of complications arising from the hunger strike and starvation.
"Two other suspects have also fallen ill, with the police suspecting a connection to their hunger strike," disclosed Yamina.
Mackenzie, the leader of the sect, stands accused of instructing his followers to starve themselves and their children to death, allegedly promising that they would ascend to Heaven before the end of the world. Remarkably, the refusal of the other culprits to eat mirrors the treatment that reportedly led to the deaths of their members.
Mackenzie surrendered to the police in April after the starvation-related deaths of two children in their parents' care. Although initially released on bail, he was rearrested on April 15 following the discovery of four additional bodies.
The church followers had established a residential community in the vast forested land of Kilifi County, situated on Kenya's coast. In April, local law enforcement acted upon a tip regarding mass starvation at Mackenzie's property and discovered dozens of emaciated followers.
Authorities had received information that "misguided individuals were dying from starvation under the pretext of meeting Jesus after being brainwashed" by Mackenzie. This controversial televangelist has been under investigation for promoting a doctrine that encourages followers to abstain from food in order to expedite their journey to Heaven.
Expressing concern last month, Kenya's interior minister, Kithure Kindiki, noted that some of Mackenzie's rescued followers were refusing food, resulting in at least one confirmed death due to starvation at that time.
While Mackenzie and the other suspects have yet to enter their pleas, authorities continue their investigations and work towards assessing the full extent of this unfolding humanitarian crisis.
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