Police officers at Shakahola village in Malindi County, on Wednesday, March 22, launched investigations on the mysterious deaths of two minors who were allegedly starved to death.
According to the police, the parents forced the duo to fast on orders of their pastor, who advocated for fasting for 40 days.
Allegedly, the pastor encouraged his congregants to fast, especially children. He reportedly believed that the future is full of disasters and that children should die and inherit the kingdom of God (a myth and misconception).
The pastor was arraigned in Malindi court on Thursday, March 23, facing allegations of involvement in the minor's death.
"Information we have is that the children were starved to death and buried in shallow graves, and we have some evidence. We acted swiftly and arrested the spiritual leader who was radicalising people," officer Charles Kamau disclosed.
Additionally, police officers reportedly rescued a third child who narrated the ordeal of the deceased.
As the case unfolded, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ordered the exhumation of the bodies for further examination.
In liaison with the government pathologist officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Malindi will conduct the exhumation, collecting DNA and toxicological samples.
In the pastor's defence, his lawyer argued that the report tabled before the court did not clearly show how the preacher was involved in the minors' death.
Conclusively, the presiding judge ordered the suspect to be released on a bail of Ksh10,000.
The judge also directed the pastor to help police officers in the investigations.
Previously, the religious leader had been charged with promoting radicalisation. He, however, pleaded not guilty.
He was also charged with sharing content with his congregation not inspected by the Kenya Films Classification Board (KFCB). The pastor also operated a film studio and produced films without a valid license from KFCB.
