New exhumations will commence after autopsies on bodies discovered in mass graves connected to a religious cult in Kenya showed missing organs, sparking suspicions of coerced extraction.
'Shakahola Forest Massacre'
Last month, near the town of Malindi on the Indian Ocean coast, mass graves came to light in an area that has been dubbed the "Shakahola forest massacre." The discovery shocked the very pious Christian-majority nation.
Most of the dead are thought to be members of the community of self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who is suspected by authorities of ordering his followers to starve to death so that they may "meet Jesus."
According to the chief government pathologist, Dr. Johansen Oduor, a number of victims, including children, were strangled, assaulted, and smothered after they were accused of being responsible for a string of murders.
Some of the bodies, as per court records filed earlier this week, had their organs removed. Police are saying that those accused were involved in the forced harvesting of body parts.
The Guardian reported that in an affidavit presented to a Nairobi court, head inspector Martin Munene said, "Postmortem reports have established missing organs in some of the bodies of victims who have been exhumed."
He did not elaborate on the alleged organ trafficking, but he did say that it was thought to have been well-coordinated that involved several participants.
Cult Deaths
According to Munene, a prominent televangelist named Ezekiel Odero was detained last month in connection with the same issue but released on bond just last week. Odero is accused of receiving "huge cash transactions" from Mackenzie's followers who sold their property at Mackenzie's bidding.
The Nairobi court has ordered the government to freeze over 20 of Odero's bank accounts for 30 days.
Kenya's interior minister Kithure Kindiki said on Tuesday, May 9, that 112 people had been verified dead after he arrived in Malindi to oversee the restart of exhumations, which had been halted last week due to inclement weather.
Kindiki said that search and rescue operations were underway for those believed to be hiding in the woods and thickets.
Taxi Driver Turned Pastor
Due to his history of radicalism and run-ins with the authorities, the self-styled pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been the subject of speculation.
After police responded to a tip and first approached Shakahola forest, where 30 mass graves have since been discovered there, the former cab driver handed himself in on April 14.
Mackenzie, who established the Good News International church in 2003, is being held by authorities who want to keep him in custody for another 90 days until they finish their investigations.
Yusuf Shikanda, a senior principal magistrate, has promised a decision on the petition by Wednesday, May 10.
