The leader of a Kenyan cult, Paul Mackenzie, who allegedly urged over 400 followers to starve themselves to death, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges in what is being described as one of Kenya’s worst cases of cult-related mass deaths.
Mackenzie, who calls himself a pastor, appeared in court in Mombasa on Monday along with 94 other suspects.
Mackenzie was arrested in April last year after authorities uncovered 429 bodies, including those of children, in mass graves within the Shakahola forest, a remote area about two hours from Malindi.
Most of the victims showed signs of starvation and assault.
“There has never been a manslaughter case like this in Kenya,” said prosecutor Alexander Jami Yamina, who noted the unique nature of the case and mentioned that over 400 witnesses would testify over four days.
The prosecution has indicated that the suspects are being charged under laws related to suicide pacts, given the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The horrific case, dubbed the “Shakahola Forest Massacre,” shocked Kenyans when it emerged that individuals could be coerced into starving themselves to death.
Mackenzie allegedly promised his followers that they would reach heaven faster if they abstained from eating.
Mackenzie is also facing two other trials: one for terrorism, which began in July, and another for child abuse. The child abuse charges include accusations of torture, assault, cruelty to children, and denying them education, all of which he denies.
Survivors of the cult have revealed that Mackenzie had a twisted hierarchy for starvation, ordering that children should starve first, followed by unmarried individuals, then women, men, and finally, church leaders.
Mackenzie founded the Good News International Church in 2003 but claimed to have closed it in 2019. He urged his followers to move to the Shakahola forest and prepare for the end of the world, where they would “meet Jesus.”
Mackenzie reportedly owned 800 acres of the remote forest, which had no mobile network coverage. The forest was divided into sections with biblical names like Judea, Bethlehem, and Nazareth.
In March, authorities released some victims’ bodies to their relatives after months of identifying them through DNA testing, with 34 bodies returned so far.
Mackenzie had preached against formal education, labeling it satanic and a means to extort money. He was previously arrested in 2017 and 2018 for encouraging children to drop out of school, arguing that education was “not recognized in the Bible.”
Additionally, he allegedly advised mothers to avoid medical care during childbirth and to refuse vaccinations for their children.
Last November, Mackenzie was convicted of operating an illegal film studio linked to his preaching and distributing films without a valid license, resulting in a one-year prison sentence.
Kenya, a deeply religious country with 85% of the population identifying as Christian, has seen previous instances where people were drawn into dangerous, unregulated churches or cults.
Source-BBC
