NAIROBI – The consequences of mass suicide in the so-called "Fasting of Paradise" continue to cast a shadow over Kenya after some 240 people died after spending days without food and water at the call of a Christian cleric.

The case dates back to April 14, when Kenya woke up to news that police had discovered four people had starved to death after a priest ordered them to fast until death to save them from "painful death in the world."

The four, worshippers at a church belonging to Pastor Paul Mackenzie, reportedly died after spending days without food and water in the village of Shakhola in Magareni province, but the deaths were only the beginning of the discovery of one of the most horrific mass suicides of the century.

According to the police report, the policemen acted on a report and visited the scene to investigate the facts, and managed to save 15 people, including 4 who were emaciated and were in critical condition, and died before arriving at the hospital.

Since that time, Kenya has been waking up daily to the news of the discovery of new bodies victims of the "Paradise Fast", until the number of deaths reached 239, despite the passage of more than a month since the discovery of the crime, and the police still suspect the presence of 600 other bodies.

Police re-arrest Pastor Paul McKenzie (right) after tragedy discovery (Reuters)

Persuasion to commit suicide

Pastor Paul McKenzie – accused of forcing his followers to die – turned himself in to the Kenyan authorities with 6 of his aides, claiming that he did not force anyone to die, and although he was able to obtain bail release, the authorities quickly re-arrested him, after discovering the horror of the tragedy, and temporarily closed 20 bank accounts belonging to him or his church.

On how to convince followers of a sect to commit mass suicide, Nairobi-based psychologist Rahima Nyambura Gathombi said that the psychology of sects is embodied in 4 stages, in the beginning the sense of belonging begins when members of the sect find that their religion is equal to all, and thus they find in that community a refuge from the injustice of what they feel in society, after which the members unite for a higher purpose, which is to worship God.

Gathombie continued – in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – that when reaching that stage, the collective identity begins to form, where the group has a single identity on which it is based, then the formation of community support begins as members of the sect provide emotional support to each other, and when reaching that stage, all these basic principles of emotional human needs gather, so that the conviction of death in order to reach the collective goal becomes easy.

Political tensions

After the incident turned into an issue that shook Kenyan public opinion, President William Ruto apologized to the Kenyan people for the government's failure to confront the incident, which became known in the media as the Shakhola incident, after the forest in which it occurred.

"It is clear that there is laxity in our government that has unfortunately led to the deaths of many Kenyans, and I do not take it lightly," Ruto said, adding that he would do everything in his power to prevent another Shakhula incident.

To look into the circumstances of this incident, the Kenyan president has set up a commission of inquiry headed by Judge Jesse Lisset, which will investigate - in addition to its research on the circumstances of the incident - the circumstances that led to the emergence of extremist religious institutions and others.

The move resonated with the opposition, as Raila Odinga's opposition Azimio alliance filed a lawsuit to block the start of the committee sessions, arguing that President William Ruto's appointment of the eight-member team was illegal and exceeded the powers vested in other state agencies, especially the police, under the constitution. Accordingly, on May 8, the Supreme Court suspended the work of the committee for seven days pending a detailed ruling this week on the constitutionality of the committee.

Medical teams search for new victims in Shakhola forest (Reuters)

Meanwhile, opposition leader Raila Odinga tried to visit the Shakhola forest, but the authorities prevented him, and President William Ruto defended the ban, saying he had no role in the ongoing investigation, adding that Odinga's move was for political purposes and that his visit would not add any value to the ongoing investigations.

Brian Moshire, a journalist for Kenya's Nation Network, believes that this political attraction of the Shakhula tragedy is a new step in the political conflict in Kenya since President Ruto's victory was announced last August, as Odinga sought to use this incident as a new card to increase pressure on President Ruto, especially after the latter accepted the formation of a dialogue committee, which explains the president's insistence on preventing Odinga from visiting the village of Shakhola.

Musheri explains, to Al Jazeera Net, that the opposition leader fears that the formation of the Kenyan president of the Commission to investigate a political maneuver by his opponent, stressing that Odinga's petition to the court to prevent the work of this committee is only an attempt to cut off any step that Ruto could exploit for his political benefit in this case.

The political tussles on the issue come at a time when the government coalition and the opposition alliance began stalled talks to end the political crisis in the country, after several violent demonstrations organized by opposition leader Raila Odinga, protesting the results of the past elections and the high cost of living, ended with a temporary truce to make way for talks.