Christians starve to death while ‘waiting to see Jesus’ after being brainwashed by preacher

Four devout Christians have died in Kenya after starving themselves when a pastor brainwashed them into thinking they would meet their creator, police said.

About 15 ‘radicalized’ Kenyan Christians were rescued by the police on Friday. only four congregants died during the rescue mission.

All 15 were members of the Good News International Church in the Kilifi coastal area and were brainwashed by a minister named Makenzie Nthenge.

Police said the 11 survivors were rescued from a forest near the town of Malindi on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya and rushed to hospital. More victims are feared.

Kenyan police later announced they have launched a manhunt for the local cult leader after the deaths of four followers he allegedly told to starve themselves to “meet Jesus.”

Police were reportedly made aware of the brainwashing after receiving a tip from radicalized Christians starving to death on the pretext that they were on their way to meet Jesus.

“During the rescue of the victims, four of them died,” the police said in an incident report.

Police are investigating reports of more victims, the report said.

“They starved to death after being radicalized by a certain member of a church who told them their work in this world was done… .

The four dead worshipers have yet to be identified, while seven men and four women taken to hospital are between the ages of 17 and 49, according to the police report. Three remain in critical condition.

Investigators continued to search the Shakahola Forest after reports of a mass grave where other cult members may have been buried.

“The team was unable to identify the mass grave due to vast land (area) and hostile inhabitants in the forest,” the police report said.

“It is also suspected that there are many victims in the forest area that presumably belongs to the suspect.”

Police were reportedly tipped off that radicalized Christians were dying of starvation on the pretext that they were on their way to meet Jesus (file image)

Media reports said Nthenge was arrested and charged last month after two children were allegedly starved to death by their parents, but was later released on 100,000 Kenyan shillings (about £600) bail.

In a March 23 affidavit, police said the parents starved and suffocated the two boys on Nthenge’s advice.

The police asked the judge to detain Nthenge because he himself could be in danger because he “caused many people to lose their lives on (the) pretext that they would go to heaven (if) they died of starvation”, the affidavit said.

At trial in that case, Nthenge said he was unaware of the events leading up to the deaths of the two boys, adding that he was the target of hostile propaganda from some of his former colleagues, The Standard newspaper reported. .

The judge released him on bail.