90 bodies found on land used by a Christian sect in northern Kenya

MADRID, 26 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Kenyan authorities on Tuesday raised to 90 the bodies found in mass graves on land used by a Christian sect in the north of the country, led by Paul Mackenzie.

According to information collected by the Kenyan newspaper 'The Nation' during the last hours, another 17 bodies have been located in various graves on the land, located in a wooded area in Shakahola, in Kilifi county.

"This has been a misuse of the fundamental rights of freedom with the alleged use of the Bible to kill and cause a massacre. Those who urged others to fast and die were eating and drinking and intended to prepare them to meet their creator," declared the Kenyan Interior Minister, Kithure Kindiki, after his visit to the area.

Likewise, the Kenyan Red Cross has started work to try to locate more than 210 people -among them 112 minors- who have been reported missing in the framework of investigations into this sect, as has been reported. informed the newspaper 'The Star'.

Mackenzie, arrested on April 14 after the existence of mass graves in the area was confirmed, is being held with thirteen other people ahead of a hearing to be held on May 2. The Prosecutor's Office has requested time to complete the investigation.

Kenyan President William Ruto said Monday that what he saw on the sect's grounds is "akin to terrorism." "Mackenzie, who acts as a pastor, is in fact a terrible criminal," he said, before specifying that "terrorists use religion to further their heinous acts."

For his part, Kithure Kindiki has opened the door to greater regulation of places of worship in the country after the discovery of the mass graves in Kifili.