Joseph Bukuya, one of the leaders of a Kenya church whose hundreds of members recently starved to death, has died in detention.
He reportedly died following a 10-day hunger strike he embarked upon, senior prosecutor, Jami Yamina, said.
Bukuya was arrested alongside the pastor of the Good News International Church, Mombasa county, Paul Mackenzie, and 28 others, in April for allegedly instigating the death of 337 of its members whom they asked to starve in order to meet Jesus Christ.
It was also alleged that the church leaders illegally disposed of their bodies in Shakahola forest, situated in South East Kenya though the authorities have been exhuming the bodies from the forest since April.
Good News International Church is suspected to be a Christian cult.
Christian Post quoted Yamina as saying Bukuya died at a hospital in Malindi, a town not too far from Mombasa, where he had been transferred from a prison nearby. He said the death of the suspect resulted from complications from hunger strike and starvation.
“We suspect the deceased died from complications associated with hunger strike. We can only wait for the post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death,” Yamina said.
The prosecutors also said two other suspects have also been taken ill, adding that the police believed it is related to their hunger strike.