Kenya Court Charges Cult Leader Paul Mackenzie Over Additional Deaths

Kenya Charges Self-Proclaimed Preacher and Seven Others with Crimes

A Kenyan self-proclaimed preacher, Paul Mackenzie, and seven others have been charged with various crimes in connection with the deaths of at least 52 people in southeast Kenya. The public prosecutions office announced the charges on Wednesday, stating that Mackenzie and the defendants are accused of “organized criminal activity”, two counts of radicalization, and two counts of facilitating a terrorist act.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the allegations, with their next hearing scheduled for March 4. According to prosecutors, Mackenzie and his Good News International Church were involved in promoting an extreme belief system that encouraged followers to starve themselves and their children to death in order to reach heaven before the world ended.

Mackenzie has denied the accusations. The investigation into the deaths began in 2025, two years after bodies were first exhumed from Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County. Autopsies revealed that most of the victims died of hunger, while others showed signs of strangulation, beating, or suffocation.

In addition to the charges related to Shakahola Forest, Mackenzie and the defendants are also facing separate charges including murder and terrorism in connection with the deaths at Kwa Binzaro area in Chakama, Kilifi County. Prosecutors claim that Mackenzie masterminded and oversaw the offences at Kwa Binzaro, continuing to direct them after his detention in 2023.

The case has led to calls for tighter control of fringe denominations in Kenya, with some reports suggesting that authorities could have prevented the deaths. The Kenyan government has taken steps to address these concerns, while Mackenzie and the defendants remain in custody awaiting their next hearing.

Source: Al Jazeera