On Sunday (April 23), the Kenyan police informed that they have so far exhumed 47 bodies in connection to the case of the Christian pastor, who asked people to starve to death if they want to meet Jesus Christ.
While speaking about the matter, Detective Charles Kamau said, “Today we have exhumed 26 more bodies and this brings the total number of bodies from that place to 47.” As per reports, cops have been able to identify a total of 58 graves in the Shakahola forest in Malindi town of Eastern Kenya.
The preacher, identified as one Paul Makenzie Nthenge, is currently in the custody of the police. The cops have also dug out a grave, which contained the bodies of 5 members of the same family (including two adults and three children).
According to Kenyan Interior Minister, Kithure Kindiki, about 800 acres of the Shakahola forest have been sealed and declared a crime scene.
He emphasised, “This horrendous blight on our conscience must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity on so many innocent souls but tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue (in the country) going forward.”
Exhumed bodies have been sent for DNA analysis
Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who ran the Good News International Church, had a ‘cult following’ among the locals in the area. He is currently awaiting a court appearance.
In his defence, the Christian pastor claimed that he had done nothing wrong and that his Church shut down in 2019. As per reports, Nthenge recited the names of three villages (Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Judea) before baptising people in ponds and asking them to starve to death.
Pathologists are now collecting DNA samples from the exhumed bodies to determine whether all of them died of starvation.