CBS News
Kenya beings handing over 429 bodies of doomsday cult victims to families: “They are only skeletons”
The Kenyan government on Tuesday began handing over 429 bodies of members of a doomsday cult at the center of a legal case that has shocked the country.
Exhumed bodies from a vast rural area in coastal Kenya have shown signs of starvation and strangulation. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie is accused of asking his followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus and now faces charges that include murder.
One tearful family received four bodies that were loaded into a hearse from a morgue in the Indian Ocean town of Malindi, said an AFP correspondent at the scene.
They are the first bodies to be handed over to their relatives for burial after months of painstaking work to identify them using DNA.
“It is a relief that we finally have the bodies but it is also disheartening that they are only skeletons,” William Ponda, 32, told AFP, saying he has lost his mother, brother, sister-in-law and nephew in the tragedy.
“I do not have any hope that we will find the other members of the family.”
LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images
Authorities are using DNA testing to help identify bodies and their families. On Tuesday, the first bodies were handed over to relatives. Emotions ran high at the Malindi mortuary as families collected loved ones for reburial. Some wailed, overwhelmed.
Mackenzie and dozens of his associates were charged in February with the torture and murder of 191 children. The trial begins April 23. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki has declared Mackenzie’s Good News International Ministries a criminal organized group.
Mackenzie is serving a separate one-year prison sentence after being found guilty of operating a film studio and producing films without a valid license.
Some outraged Kenyans have asked how authorities didn’t notice any sign of the mass deaths underway.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission last week said police failed to act on reports that could have prevented the deaths in the remote Shakahola area. Several reports had been filed at police stations by people whose relatives had entered the forested area.
The case emerged last year when police rescued 15 emaciated parishioners from Mackenzie’s church in Kilifi county in Kenya’s southeast. Four died after the group was taken to a hospital.
Last year, Kenyan President William Ruto compared the starvation deaths to terrorist acts.
“What we are seeing … is akin to terrorism,” Ruto said. “Mr. Makenzi … pretends and postures as a pastor when in fact he is a terrible criminal.”
The case has prompted calls for tighter control of fringe denominations in a country with a troubling history of self-declared pastors and cults that have dabbled in criminality.
In 2022, the body of a British woman who died at the house of a different cult leader while on holiday in Kenya was exhumed, the family’s lawyer said. Luftunisa Kwandwalla, 44, was visiting the coastal city of Mombasa when she died in August 2020, and was buried a day later, but her family has claimed foul play.
AFP contributed to this report.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
nui/Getty Images
If you’re tired of making monthly credit card payments only to see minimal reductions in your balances then you may be looking into debt relief options. Credit card debt forgiveness is one to consider.
Debt forgiveness companies aim to help you save money and get out of debt faster through negotiations. If those negotiations are successful, your credit card companies may forgive a percentage of your balances, which could provide the relief you’re looking for.
But, like all debt relief options, credit card debt forgiveness isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. So, what are some signs that credit card debt forgiveness may not work for you? That’s what we will detail below.
Let a debt relief expert help you put your credit card debt behind you now.
4 signs credit card debt forgiveness may not work for you
While credit card debt forgiveness programs are a good fit for some borrowers, they aren’t perfect for everyone. Here are a few signs that credit card debt forgiveness may not work for you:
You always make your payments on time
Credit card debt forgiveness is typically designed for borrowers who can’t consistently make minimum payments. So, if you make your credit card payments on time, every time, that may be a sign that these programs aren’t a good fit for you.
There are a wide range of debt relief options. And, credit card debt forgiveness is a more extreme option that can come with more significant repercussions than others. So, if you can afford to make your monthly payments on time – even if it’s not always comfortable – other debt relief solutions may be a better fit.
Find alternatives to credit card debt settlement here.
You don’t have enough credit card debt
Most credit card debt forgiveness companies require minimum debt amounts to qualify for their services. For example, you’ll need at least $10,000 in credit card debt to qualify for the services Accredited Debt Relief provides and Freedom Debt Relief and National Debt Relief both impose $7,500 minimums. If you have under $7,500 in credit card debt, you may be hard-pressed to find a service provider to work with.
You already have a judgment
If you forego payments to your credit card companies for too long, they may sue you for the money you owe. And, if your credit card companies sell your debt to a debt collector, that collector may take you to court, too.
If you lose the case, your credit card companies, or the debt collectors they’ve sold your debt to, may win judgments against you. Those judgments can give them leverage, making them less likely to negotiate what you owe. While you may be able to settle a debt following a judgment against you, doing so may be more difficult. So, if you already have one or more judgments against you and can’t afford to pay the debt back, bankruptcy may be a better option.
You’re considering a large purchase
Credit card debt forgiveness may not be your best debt relief option if you want to make a large purchase, like a home or car. That’s because these solutions can harm your credit score, making it difficult to access new loans.
“Asking for payment relief or debt forgiveness should be given serious consideration prior to taking action,” explains Michael Broughton, founder and CEO of the credit-building app, ALTRO. “Once you request a change to terms or a lower payment, your credit could be impacted and the chances that you will be able to get loans for other, unrelated items can be severely diminished.”
The bottom line
Credit card debt forgiveness is a fitting solution for many people – especially if they can’t afford their minimum payments. But, it’s not the best fit for everyone. You may want to consider other options if you always make your payments on time, don’t have enough credit card debt, already have judgments against you or you’re in the market for a large purchase. Chat with an expert about your debt relief options now.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
