Photo for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Four cult members die due to extreme fasting to ‘meet Jesus quickly’

Four cult members have died in Kenya due to extreme fasting after being told by their leader to “get to heaven quickly.” There were a total of 15 cult members who participated in fasting, but only four people did not survive. In a report by BBC, the leader Pastor Makenzie Nthenge of Good News International Chruch allegedly told his members to do extreme fasting to get to heaven and meet Jesus quickly. The report further explained that the investigation began after receiving a report regarding the cult, where “ignorant citizens” were brainwashed by the pastor “to starve to death in pretext to meet Jesus.” Upon investigation, the police found 15 “seriously ill” members on Thursday (April 13), having only 11 members survived. According to a source, the victims were found in a bad state, others even fainted on the way to the hospital. The pastor, Nthenge was arrested last month after allegedly ordering parents to “starve and suffocate” their two children for the same reason, which led to their death. However, in the Daily Mail report, Nthenge claimed that he was “unaware” of the incident, saying that “he was the target of hostile propaganda from some of his former colleagues,” and was released on bail. Additionally, according to the police statement, they were informed that there was "a mass shallow grave of victims" associated with the incident, with a total of 31 dead "in an unidentified place at Shakahola Forest." RZSP/Expat Media
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