Kenya cult: Children targeted to die first, pastor says

Children were targeted as the first to be starved to death in the final days of a Christian doomsday cult in Kenya, according to fresh accounts emerging.

Police investigating an apparent mass suicide have so far exhumed 201 bodies in a forest in the nation's southeast.

A former deputy preacher of the cult told the New York Times that children were killed first, ordered "to fast in the sun so they would die faster."

Women and men were next to follow the suicide plan, Titus Katana said.

Mr Katana - who is helping police with the investigation - also described to the Sunday Times the alleged brutal treatment of the children, saying they were shut in huts for five days without food or water.

"Then they wrapped them in blankets and buried them, even the ones still breathing," he was quoted as saying.

It is alleged that the cult followers were told they would reach heaven faster if they starved to death.

Official autopsies of some of the bodies in the expansive Shakahola farm, near the coastal town of Malindi, found signs of starvation, suffocation and beatings.

More than 600 people who are reported to be members of the doomsday cult allegedly led by Pastor Paul Mackenzie are still missing.

Pastor Mackenzie, who is currently in police custody, said he closed down his Good News International Church four years ago after nearly two decades of operation.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65588273

Comprehension

Who were targeted as the first victims in the doomsday cult in Kenya?
How many bodies have been exhumed so far by the police?
What method was allegedly used to cause the death of the children?
Who is assisting the police with the investigation?
How were the children allegedly treated before their deaths?
What were the cult followers told about reaching heaven faster?
What were some of the findings from the official autopsies conducted on the bodies?

Discussion

How do you feel after reading about the disturbing events in the doomsday cult in Kenya?
What factors do you think might lead people to join or follow doomsday cults?
What role do you think religious leaders have in ensuring the well-being and safety of their followers?
How can society prevent the rise of harmful cults and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation?
What actions should be taken to provide support and justice to the victims and their families?
How can we raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of extremist or manipulative religious groups?
What responsibilities do governments have in monitoring and regulating religious organizations to prevent such tragedies?
In your opinion, what are some warning signs that might indicate a cult is engaging in dangerous practices or manipulation?

Vocabulary

Cult - a group or movement characterized by extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or belief system, often with controlling or harmful practices.
Mass suicide - an act of multiple individuals intentionally causing their own deaths, often within a group or organization.
Exhumed - dug up or removed from a burial place, typically referring to the process of retrieving buried bodies.
Autopsies - medical examinations performed on a deceased body to determine the cause of death or gather forensic evidence.
Suffocation - the act of being deprived of air or unable to breathe, often resulting in death.
Expansive - extensive or wide-ranging in terms of space or scope.
Doomsday - a hypothetical or prophesied day of reckoning or catastrophic event, often associated with the end of the world.