CANNIBALS & DEVIL CULTS IN KENYA
Compiled From Reuters
Friday September 20
Kenya Says Devil Cults Must be Stopped
NAIROBI (Reuter) - Kenya's government says it has evidence devil worshippersare sacrificing humans, drinking their blood and raping children and urgesthe public to shun such satanic cults.
But critics say the government in strongly Christian Kenya is blowing theproblem out of all proportion to divert public attention from more pressingpolitical and economic issues.
In a statement issued Thursday, the government said a committee set up in1994 and upgraded to a commission of inquiry last year had established thatdevil worship existed in Kenya.
``After carefully considering reports from individuals with personal experiencein the cults and evidence from devil worshippers, whose submissions wereconfirmed by credible independent sources, the Commission found ample corroborativeevidence of the existence of devil worship,'' it said.
``According to the testimonies, satanic cults include the following in theirrituals:
- human sacrifice
- drinking of human blood
- eating of human flesh
- black Mass and Wine
- nudity of the participants in the ritual
- incantation in unintelligible language
- sexual abuse and rape, especially of children and minors
- black magic
- narcotic drugs
- presence of snakes''
The government said the commission had received information of ``horrifyingcriminal cases'' including kidnapping, rape, child abuse, murders and thesevering of body parts such as tongues, eyes and limbs.
``The government would like to assure the public that it has carefully studiedthe recommendations of the Commission which have far-reaching implicationson our learning and other institutions,'' the statement said.
``While the government is taking firm actions to implement the recommendationsand curb the evil practices, the public is advised to desist from abettingor getting involved in devil worship, which is in its formative stage inour country.''
The government said members of devil worship cults used strange symobolsand signs and engaged in ``anti-social habits.''
It said they were obsessed with sex, especially lesbianism and homosexuality,used nicknames such as cobra, scorpion and python and used signs such aswitches flying on broomsticks.
But Friday the Kenya Human Rights Commission rejected the government statementas diverting the attention of Kenyans from more urgent problems such asconstitutional and economic reform.
``The constitution guarantees freedom of worship -- anyone has a right toworship anything,'' KHRC spokesman Njuguna Mutahi said. ``We are not governedby some kind of religiosity.''
Mutahi said the commission had reported what amounted to serious criminaloffences which ought to be punished as such.
President Daniel arap Moi created the committee in October 1994, orderingit to investigate allegations of devil worship, to establish its extentin school and universities and its links to drug abuse and other socialevils.
The commission visited all of Kenya's eight provinces and took evidencefrom thousands of people, according to commission member Pastor BonifesAdoyo of the Nairobi Pentecostal Church.
He said the commission saw people with severed body parts and had evidencecults were engaged in criminal activities.
``It is true that there is freedom of worship but when the rights of othersare violated in the process, you really cease to possess that freedom asa right,'' Adoyo told Reuters.
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