A prosecutor announced on Wednesday that a Kenyan accused of taking part in the deaths of hundreds of followers of a starving cult had passed away in police custody following a 10-day hunger strike.
30 persons, including Good News International Church self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie, were being held in custody for the killings of 337 church members, including Joseph Buyuka.
According to court documents, Buyuka and the other four people he was arrested with “played significant roles in the offences leading to the deaths and illegal disposal of bodies in Shakahola (forest),” according to the police.
Authorities have exhumed most of the bodies from the forest in southeast Kenya since April.
Jami Yamina, senior prosecution counsel, said Buyuka had died two days ago at a hospital in Malindi, about 116 km (72 miles) from the port city of Mombasa where he had been taken from a nearby prison.
“He died …(due to) … complications from hunger strike and starvation, but we will await postmortem report,” Yamina told a court in Mombasa.
“Two other suspects … have also been taken ill. Police believe it is related to their hunger strike.”
Mackenzie is accused of ordering his followers to starve their children and themselves to death so they could reach heaven before the end of the world.
He handed himself over to police in April and was denied bail last month. The other suspects were arrested later after authorities started the exhumations.
He and the others have not yet been required to enter a plea.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki had expressed concern in May that some of Mackenzie’s rescued followers were refusing food. One of them had died, he said at the time.