According to the prosecution, the victims who later became suspects skipped meals.
According to local media, 65 members of the Kenyan Christian cult who were rescued from the Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County are facing attempted suicide charges.
They were charged on Monday in Shanzu law court with attempting suicide by skipping meals while residing at the Sajahanadi Rescue Center in Mtwapa.
The survivors, who are now suspects, reportedly went on a hunger strike between June 6 and June 10 in accordance with a charge sheet created by the nation’s public prosecutor’s office and used by local media.
The Rescue Center was no longer able to accommodate them, so the prosecution requested on Monday that they be kept behind bars.
“They are now being investigated for suicide attempts. They will be forced to eat while being evaluated mentally and medically, according to the prosecution, according to Nairobi-based newspaper The Star. On Thursday, the court is anticipated to decide on the application.
According to Section 226 of the Penal Code, attempting suicide is a crime in Kenya that is punishable by two years in prison, a fine, or both. The British established the law, which was then transmitted to the nation of East Africa. The same law was abolished in England more than 60 years ago, and activists in Kenya have been fighting to have it reinstated because they claim it was imposed by a “outside force.”
The 65 defendants allegedly follow Pastor Paul Mackenzie, a cult leader accused of inciting terrorism by telling his followers to fast until they pass out in order to “meet Jesus.”
Since her arrest in April, Mackenzie has been detained. Following the exhumation of ten more bodies on Monday, there were now 284 victims discovered scattered across Mackenzie’s 800-acre estate in Kenya’s Shakahola forest. The majority of the victims, including children, perished from starvation, according to autopsy reports, while others were killed by beating, strangulation, or other means.
On Tuesday, the exhumation procedure is expected to pick back up.
