They killed and starved children “for the sake of Jesus”: what is known about the totalitarian sect in Kenya

[ad_1]

The details of the stay of people in a sect in Kenya, whose followers starved themselves and even killed their own children to “see Jesus” became known. CNN tells about the creation of the cult, its leader and members. The preacher of the sect was arrested on April 15 after the discovery of four bodies of people who probably died of starvation. Investigators later dug up the bodies in the local Shakahola forest. Also, many people are considered missing. More than 300 body fragments have been found so far, but officials at Kenya’s interior ministry say there are dozens of so-called mass graves. The charismatic leader Detectives say the sect was divided into eight separate settlements with biblical names such as Galilee and Bethlehem. The cult was preparing for the end of the world under the leadership of Pastor Paul McKenzie Ntenge. The sectarians believed that starvation was their ticket to salvation. Sometime in the early 2000s, McKenzie left his job as a taxi driver and founded Good News International. Photo: WACHIRA MWANGI Mackenzie became known for his fiery sermons. He attracted a significant following, says an assistant pastor who worked with him for years until they fell out. “At first, the church was good, there were no problems. The sermons were normal, but in 2010, his messages about the end of the world began. It happened step by step,” he says. An assistant pastor says McKenzie told his followers to take their children out of school, get rid of their documents, avoid hospitals and start preparing for the end of the world. Mackenzie had a huge influence on people due to his charismatic oratory. “The pastor called me and said, ‘My daughter, when the ark closes, you’re going to be late,'” said Agnes, 26, a former member of the cult. The girl joined Mackenzie’s church when she was still in high school. family. He convinced Agnes and many like her to leave school. Agnes says she shaved her head and got married in the church. “Some of his sermons became reality. He said that diseases would come, and then the coronavirus came,” she says. Last year, she moved the whole family to the forest. Agnes says that over time life in the cult became more and more extreme. “Every month there were meetings where he spoke us what Jesus said. It was painful,” she says. Agnes says she fled the forest last September when she was told she could not get help from another woman to give birth to a third child. “Killed children to see Jesus” In In 2018, Kenyan authorities arrested McKenzie for anti-government stances, but never brought him to justice. However, after that, McKenzie moved into the forest and took his followers with him. Researchers say it was in the forest that McKenzie’s cult took its final form. The court affidavit states , that Mackenzie told his followers sometime in early 2023 that the end of the world was imminent and that they should start fasting. “He stated that the fast would begin with the children until the last child died, then the youth would go, then the women and finally the men , and that he will be the last to die and ascend to heaven,” the testimony says. Photo:REUTERS/Stringer When Francis Wanje learned earlier this year that his daughter and her family were in Shakahola Forest with other cult members, his first reaction was that it was wrong. “I couldn’t even believe it. I was told that something bad was happening in the forest. But I couldn’t understand how she could be there,” he says. Vanje’s daughter and son-in-law had decent jobs. He knew they attended Mackenzie’s church. But when they moved into the forest, they told him they were moving to another part of Kenya. After Vanje received the distress call, he organized a private rescue mission to the forest, where he said his oldest grandson was found. The boy was exhausted from hunger, and two of his siblings were already dead. Vanje says that they were strangled by their parents. “It hurts so much. How could my child, my daughter, turn into such an animal, killing her own children just because she wanted to see Jesus?” – he says. Vanje wants to pick up his grandson in a few weeks. “He went through hell. When he was rescued, he said that if the saviors had come a little later, he would have already gone to see Jesus, because his grave is already there,” says the Kenyan. McKenzie says he has “never seen anyone starving” Kenya’s state pathologist says many of the remains found show signs of severe starvation, with some strangled and some with blunt force trauma. Dozens of children were among the dead. There is also evidence of how hungry children fled the forest at the end of last year. The police pulled scores of followers out of the woods, many of whom did not want to be rescued. Even those who were dying. “When they got to the hospital, some gave false names and others refused treatment, they didn’t want to be helped,” said Dr. David Man’ong’o, the district hospital’s medical director. Photo: CNN The rescued followers are being held at a nearby rescue center, where therapists are trying to break their emotional and psychological ties to Mackenzie. A prosecutor said last week that 65 people rescued from the forest were charged with attempted suicide by being denied food. At a recent court hearing, McKenzie denied any knowledge of the horrors that witnesses, surveyors and survivors say took place in Shakahola Forest. When asked about allegations that his group’s followers were starving their children on his instructions, McKenzie said he had “never seen anyone starve.” The pastor and his closest followers have been in custody since the discovery of the mass graves, although they have not yet been charged. Prosecutors continue to ask the court to extend the detention period to allow for further investigations. Read also: The Poltava religious organization held 40 people captive – the prosecutor’s office

[ad_2]

Original Source Link