Kenyan cult leader faces charges following discovery of 200 dead bodies

Kenyan pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 associates face manslaughter charges for over 200 deaths, with autopsies revealing hunger, strangulation, beating and suffocation as the primary causes

In a harrowing case that has shocked the country, self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, and 94 other suspects face charges of manslaughter for the deaths of over 200 people.

Kenyan prosecutors brought forth the charges following the discovery of hundreds of bodies last April in the Shakahola forest near the Indian Ocean. Mackenzie, along with alleged accomplices including his wife, pleaded not guilty to 238 counts of manslaughter, as revealed by court documents obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The autopsies on the victims, who passed away between January 2021 and September 2023, revealed that the leading cause of death was hunger. Disturbingly, some victims, including children, displayed signs of strangulation, beating or suffocation.

This chilling revelation deepens the gravity of the case, especially as Mackenzie faces terrorism charges filed the previous week in Mombasa. He is accused of encouraging followers to intentionally starve themselves in a misguided effort to “meet Jesus.” Mackenzie is now expected to undergo a mental health assessment to determine his fitness for the upcoming murder trial.

In the meantime, concerns have arisen about how Mackenzie, a father of seven, managed to elude law enforcement despite facing charges in 2017 for extreme preaching. He was acquitted of radicalization charges in the same year, linked to providing school teaching outside the formal education system, asserting it contradicted the Bible.

In 2019, Mackenzie faced accusations related to the death of two children believed to have been starved, suffocated, and buried in a shallow grave in Shakahola. He was released on bail, pending an ongoing trial.

Kenya is a predominantly Christian country and has long grappled with challenges in regulating religious groups engaged in criminal activities. The Shakahola forest massacre has increased calls for more stringent control over fringe denominations.

Source: AFP