Kenya to convert forest into memorial site for starvation cult victims

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Kenyan Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki announced on Wednesday that the Shakahola forest, where mass graves connected to a starvation cult were found, will be transformed into a national memorial.

The decision came as nine more bodies were discovered in ongoing exhumations, bringing the death toll to 251.

"The government will convert it into a national memorial, a place of remembrance so that Kenyans and the world do not forget what happened here," Kindiki said, emphasizing the significance of preserving the memory of the harrowing events that unfolded in the forest.

As the investigation into the cult continues, he provided an update on the progress made in holding the cult leader and his collaborators accountable.

"Our investigations team has assured us that we have a watertight case against (Pastor Paul) Mackenzie and his collaborators who are in custody. We have evidence that is sufficient to prove charges of genocide and crimes against humanity," he said.

Hundreds of corpses have been found in Shakahola forest in Kilifi County since mid-April during investigations into a cult run by Mackenzie, a pastor who leads the Good News International Church in Kenya.

He is accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death so they could go to heaven before the end of the world.

The investigations have revealed that some of the victims had their organs missing, which has led to suspicions of trafficking in human organs.