Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday likened the priest at the center of a deadly starvation cult to a terrorist
…and instructed authorities to find the root cause of what happened.
“Terrorists use religion to advance their heinous acts. People like Mr. Mackenzie are using religion to do exactly the same thing.”
Police have recovered dozens of bodies, mostly from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya.
They are thought to be followers of the self-proclaimed Good News International Church who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves.
The discovery of the graves is the latest chapter involving what police call the “radicalized” pastor, Paul Mackenzie.
He was arrested on April 14 after a tip-off.
Fourteen other cult members are in police custody, authorities said.
The death toll has repeatedly risen as exhumations have been carried out and could rise further.
The Kenyan Red Cross said 112 people have been reported missing to a tracing and counseling desk set up at a local hospital.
