Kenya: Death Toll Passes 70 as Police Investigate Starvation Cult

Image copyright: Al Jazeera

The Facts

  • Kenyan police on Monday recovered 73 bodies, mostly from mass graves in an eastern Kenya forest, as the death toll of alleged followers of a Christian cult — who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves — continues to rise.

  • The final count could be even higher as the Red Cross has stated that 112 members of the Good News International Church have been reported missing. Police have found 29 survivors, some of them seemingly unwilling to be rescued.


The Spin

Narrative A

Kenyan authorities turned a blind eye to the warning signs surrounding Paul Mackenzie's death cult, which led to the deaths of so many people. Many bodies continue to be discovered daily, and rights groups alerted police to his radical teachings for years to no avail. We must continue to ask questions about how much authorities knew about this deadly cult before they started to investigate.

Narrative B

Paul Mackenzie is a terrorist, and Kenyan authorities are doing all they can to make sure his death cult is stopped and justice is served. Police are working together to rescue as many victims as possible and are fully committed to helping those deceived by this horrific group.


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