Authorities have conducted the first autopsies on over 100 corpses discovered in mass graves in Kenya, which have been linked to a pastor suspected of encouraging his followers to fast to death.
The post-mortems revealed that starvation was the main cause of death, although some victims also appeared to have been smothered. The bodies of nine children and one woman were examined, all of which showed features of starvation such as a lack of food in the stomach and a thin layer of fat. While all organs were found to be intact, some victims showed signs of asphyxiation.
The death toll currently stands at 109, including some who were found alive but died on their way to hospital. DNA samples will be taken from the bodies to aid identification, but the decomposition of the corpses will make it difficult to determine the time of death. Investigators suspect that the cult leader, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who urged followers to find God through starvation, has links to another televangelist who was arrested last Thursday.
The two pastors are being detained and will appear in court on Tuesday.
In response to the incident, President William Ruto has promised to address the issue of regulating religious activities in Kenya while protecting the right to freedom of worship.
More than 4,000 churches are registered in the country, but efforts to regulate them have faced accusations of violating constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
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