65 victims turned suspects after being rescued from Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County, where they engaged in a deadly fast.
According to a charge sheet drafted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, the suspects attempted to kill themselves. This comes after they refused to eat while in a rescue centre. Some of them refused because of their beliefs and others because they were die-hard Paul Mackenzie.
From a few people on the ground, the suspects turned violent at the rescue centre and refused to eat. They demanded to be set free from the rescue centre and allowed to go back to their lives. These followers still believe in the doctrine they were being taught while at Good News International Church, Kilifi.
The suspects were at the SAJAHANADI Rescue Center, Kilifi. This is where they staged a hunger strike between June 6th and June 10th. The strike warranted the charges filed against them by the office of the director of public prosecution.
According to the director of Public prosecutions, attempting suicide is against section 226 of the constitution and in support of section 36 of the penal code.
The 65 suspects were presented at Shanzu Law Courts on Monday, June 12 in the afternoon.
The coast regional commissioner, Rhodes Onyancha, said a total of 95 people have been rescued, a death toll of 284 reached and 613 cases filed for missing persons. The search and exhumation of Shakahola Forest still continue.
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