‘Fasting to meet Jesus’ death toll hit 200 plus, pastor says his family didn’t participate
More than 200 churchgoers have died as a result of the contentious “40-day fasting to meet Jesus,” according to Kenyan pastor Paul Mackenzie, who has admitted that his family did not take part in the fast and that he did not make anyone starve to death.
Since his arrest last month, the man of God from Kilifi has been in the custody of law officers. He’s been charged with running a cult, causing his members to starve to death in the name of hoping to meet Jesus, and burying their corpses in both group and individual graves on a sizable Shakahola piece of property that belongs to him.
On Saturday, May 13, 22 more bodies were exhumed by a rescue team assembled by the Kenyan government, which included investigators among others. This brought the total death toll to over 200 and counting.
Before being recently apprehended, the preacher is thought to have been active in the Shakahola jungle for more than ten years. Mackenzie, however, refuted running a church in the region in his defense to the police.
“There is no physical church anywhere in Shakahola. I bought the land and sold it to members, and some are yet clear payments,” the disgruntled pastor is quoted to have said.
After the Director of Public Prosecution requested that the man of God be held for 90 days to enable for investigations and to protect the suspect’s safety, Shanzu Principal Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda remanded him in custody for 30 days.
