The leader of a cult in Kenya, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, has denied ordering his followers to fast until at least 109 people starve to death.An investigator confirmed to Reuters that Nthenge denied ordering his followers to fast until they starve to death.
However, Nthenge has so far not opened his voice over the accusations against him. Meanwhile, two of his lawyers also declined to comment.
As reported by Reuters, on the same day, the government’s chief pathologist said that they had completed autopsies on 10 victims, namely one adult and nine children.
Most of the results show signs of starvation. The results on the other two children also showed signs of shortness of breath.
Kenyan authorities reported that Nthenge’s followers who died reached 109 people, most of the victims were children. They were found in a mass grave where eight people lived but later died.
The number of victims is expected to continue to grow. Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs of Kenya reported that more than 400 people were also missing in the area around the cemetery.
Nthenge was initially tried at a court in Malindi, before being transferred to a court in Mombasa. He appeared before a Malindi court on Monday.
He was then taken to his church compound in the Furunzi area for a search, one of his lawyers, Elisha Komora, told Reuters.
Angry residents then gathered and threw stones at the complex. They destroyed the front of the wall, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse them.
Prior to this case, Nthenge already faced a number of charges for several alleged offences. He stumbled on various cases, including child neglect and radicalization.
He was acquitted of some charges, while other charges were dropped or not acted upon for unspecified reasons, according to Kenyan court records.
Nthenge has so far not been charged over the discovery of the mass graves of his followers.
On Tuesday (2/4), the court decided that Nthenge would remain in police custody until the next hearing was held on Friday. The prosecutor also asked the court to detain the defendant for 90 days to carry out an investigation.
Source : CNN