Shakahola massacre; unbearable stench of mass graves with some bodies left in the forest as deaths hit 93
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The discovery of mass graves in the Shakahola forest has sent shockwaves through the country even as the exhumation process continues
The discovery of mass graves in the Shakahola forest has sent shockwaves through the country even as the exhumation process continues.
Kilifi cult death toll has hit 89 after six more bodies were exhumed including that of a child found in one grave in a forest in Shakahola on Tuesday afternoon.
In the morning, police found 10 more bodies, people thought to be followers of a Christian cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves.
The total number of deaths attributed to the cult led by Paul Mackenzie now stands at 89, including the eight victims who died after they were rescued in a police raid that lifted the lid on the horrors at the church.
Police on Tuesday rescued two women who were severely malnourished and appeared to be on the brink of death. They were rushed to Malindi Hospital for treatment.
Of the 10 bodies found on Tuesday morning, five were found buried in one grave while the other five were at separate sites.
Meanwhile, Hussein Khalid, who runs the rights organization, Haki Africa, described the scene at Shakahola forest as horrible.
“The stench is unbearable,” he tells the BBC.
“It is a very sad state of affairs on how these people died and were buried in shallow graves because we found six bodies squeezed in one grave today,” said a senior police officer.
Another senior police official also confirmed the death toll, saying: “Some of the bodies were just in the forest and had not even been buried.”
Hussein Khalid says one of those rescued had refused to eat despite being in clear physical distress.
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“The moment she was brought here, she absolutely refused to be administered with first aid and she closed her mouth firmly, basically refusing to be assisted, wanting to continue with her fasting until she dies,” he told AFP.
He also came across a man in his 40s who was able to talk.
“He said he didn’t need any saving, and that he was in his senses and he knows what he was doing and he should be left alone. He even called us enemies of him going to heaven.”
That man has also been taken to hospital.
Mr Khalid estimates that there are around 60 mass grave sites in the area and only a quarter of those have been examined.
There are fears some members could be hiding from authorities in the surrounding bushland and at risk of death if not quickly found.
Also read,
Emotional Kisumu father losses THREE sons to Mackenzie cult as Shakahola deaths hit 73
Kilifi residents lift lid on controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie
How Kilifi cult victims led to booming of business even as Ruto labels Pastor Mackenzie a terrorist
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