The world is still struggling to come to terms with the shocking incident in Kenya, where a religious cult has caused multiple deaths by starvation, with the latest count being 95 people killed. The victims were all members of the so-called Good News International Church, run by a Kenyan pastor in a remote village in the coastal region of the country. More victims are feared dead as the combing of an expansive 800-acre forest that belonged to the priest continues. Others have been found barely breathing and are getting medical attention. It is alleged that the so-called cleric, who is already in custody, compels his flock, among them young children, not to have water or eat anything for days as they supposedly await the return of Jesus Christ until they die. This man’s ill teachings have been described as one of the worst cases of religious extremism in recent times not just in Kenya but in the entire world. Interestingly, his victims included well educated people who were conned into abandoning their life to join the cult. A situation like this is a reminder of the need to constantly monitor religious extremism which can happen anywhere, if authorities are not vigilant enough. It is also an indication that the right to religion should not be granted on a blank cheque. Already in the region, we have had other cases including in Uganda, where in 2000, over 1,000 believers belonging to another sect were killed after they were herded into a church and burnt alive. The victims had been promised by the cult leaders that by the beginning of the year 2000 there would be an apocalypse where everyone else would die and that only the believers of this sect would be spared. Among the victims were Rwandans who had trekked to the south-western Uganda-based church. In Rwanda, there have previously been cases of people found praying in unconventional ways, including from ungazetted places, which calls for extra vigilance from both authorities and the different bodies in which different denominations are grouped. Fortunately, there are rules that govern religious organisations under Rwanda Governance Board and all we can call for is extra vigilance to ensure all denominations adhere to them to avoid such catastrophes.
