What Kenya needs to do to prevent another Shakahola

An old Swahili proverb goes, "Kashangae ferry meli inaelea shilingi inazama (He is surprised that the ferry floats, yet the coin sinks)."

It's about the tribal wisdom of accepting that much as you try, some things won't make sense.

The Shakahola forest massacre in Kenya, uncovered in April 2023, left the nation profoundly shocked.

Over 400 bodies in shallow graves. People who starved themselves on a pastor's orders. Families that handed over everything they owned because someone promised them heaven.

When Kenyan authorities stumbled upon the Shakahola graves, the country demanded answers. But the harder question isn't what happened – it's why people keep falling for it.

Since the discovery, there have been claims about the existence of "houses of Satan" being passed off as places of worship, where leaders persuade followers to perform extreme rituals for salvation.

The demands range from surrendering property to the ultimate ask: starving yourself to death. Some followers silently suffer until their health deteriorates to the extent that they can't take it anymore. Others lose their lives, all in the name of faith.

Dr Kennedy Ongaro, who teaches at Daystar University in Nairobi, has been seeking answers to this inexplicable phenomenon for years.

"Poverty is something tied to a person's mind," he tells TRT Afrika. "So, when you tell someone you have a solution to their problems and can lift them out of poverty, they will follow whatever you tell them. That is what you see in the Shakahola believers – they were told to take everything they owned to their pastor and they did."

Suspension of disbelief

Every now and then, charlatans come forward claiming to have been endowed with supernatural powers. Some claim to be gods. The wonder is that their following keeps growing.

It's a pattern that repeats itself – extreme demands, willing compliance, deteriorating health and, ultimately, death. All of it done in the name of faith.

Kenya saw this coming. Concerns had been raised for decades, culminating in the first official crackdown under former President Daniel arap Moi's administration.

In October 1994, Moi set up a special commission led by Archbishop Nicodemus Kirima of Nyeri to investigate allegations of satanic cults. Former cult members testified about initiation rites, mind control, and sundry primeval rituals.

Their stories matched. The commission found scars on the bodies of followers, ritual objects and evidence that backed up the testimonies.

"There was a high degree of consistency in most of the testimonies, which lead us to conclude that satanic cults existed in Kenya, and some of the recorded rituals were dangerous and criminal," the report states.

The commission also confirmed what many suspected – occultism was widespread, especially among young people and the poor. Witnesses described pentagrams, the number 666, and techniques designed to break down resistance.

Faith without questions

Dr Ongaro has an explanation for why cults like the one that perpetrated the Shakahola forest massacre work.

"It stems from a lack of understanding of spiritual and divine matters. Those seeking purification or salvation in religion believe and follow anything that promises them eternal life or healing, without asking questions," he tells TRT Afrika.

"They believe even a piece of white cloth given to them by a healer contains magical properties. Sometimes, the prescribed rituals harm them or cause death."

Cultural memory plays a role too. "People don't want to abandon the traditions of their ancestors. Some are afraid of being cursed so you find these beliefs being passed down generations," says Dr Ongaro.

'Ministry' of horrors

In 2023, the Shakahola forest in Kilifi County became a crime scene.

Paul Mackenzie ran Good News International Ministries there. His message was simple: fast until you die, and you will reach salvation. The bodies of those who believed him ended up in graves. A few were rescued alive, barely breathing.

Mackenzie and several associates faced charges ranging from terrorism to torture and murder. He contested all the allegations.

The incident showed what happens when religious practices go unchecked and the administration fails to  enforce the law.

Unregulated practices

It wasn't the first time something like that had happened in Kenya. In 1999, investigators found a cult in Opapo village that involved cruel rituals and secret burials.

"We do not have a coherent policy and laws to control satanic activities or religious fraud," says Dr Ongaro. "In other countries, it is a criminal offence to use religion to deceive people. If you are caught engaging people in satanic rituals, you are arrested and imprisoned. Here, many have been arrested and charged, but we see them suddenly released with no punishment."

The 1994 commission made several recommendations, including setting up a police task force to curb cultic activities. Another suggestion was to update the laws and educate vulnerable communities about the warning signs.

The commission was later disbanded and the recommendations allegedly tucked away in a file.

"The resurgence of cultic beliefs in Kenya, culminating in the Shakahola massacre, underscores the urgent need for measures to address this threat," Dr Ongaro tells TRT Afrika. "By learning from past instances and taking decisive action, Kenya can protect its citizens from the harmful effects of such practices."

The question is whether anyone's listening this time. Four hundred graves in Shakahola remind the country about the cost of ignoring this warning.