In Malindi, Kenya, bereaved relatives were seen leaving a hospital mortuary in tears after retrieving the remains of loved ones who fell victim to a doomsday cult leader, as reported by the authorities.
Since April 2023, the bodies of over 400 followers of the Good News International Church have been uncovered from the Shakahola forest in southeastern Kenya, marking one of the most devastating cult-related tragedies in recent history.
The cult leader, Paul Mackenzie, surrendered to the police last April and, along with 29 others, is now facing murder charges. Despite pleading not guilty, Mackenzie is accused of instructing his followers to starve themselves in anticipation of the end of the world so they could ascend to heaven first.
Out of the victims, only 35 bodies have been positively identified so far, intensifying the grief of numerous families awaiting closure for their loved ones.
At a hospital mortuary in Malindi, a small number of bodies were handed over to families on Tuesday, with relatives queuing up before being allowed inside, where many emerged in tears.
“I feel exhausted by the whole process,” mentioned Sylvanus Opodo, who traveled from western Kenya to claim his brother’s remains.
Opodo expressed that the family struggled to afford proper transportation for the remains, exacerbating an already distressing situation.
Some bodies were brought out in body bags and loaded into vehicles, while reporters and TV crews were kept at a distance during the somber process.
Government officials stated that the delay in handing over the bodies was due to the exhumation, post-mortem, and identification procedures, with DNA testing being utilized for badly damaged remains.
However, Roseline Odede, the chairperson of the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, urged for a swifter process.
“At this pace, we might spend up to 10 years trying to identify all the bodies. The government needs to allocate resources to expedite this process and provide closure to the families,” Odede remarked to reporters.
(Additional reporting by Dicksy Obiero; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Estelle Shirbon)
