A Kenyan court has charged Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the self-proclaimed Pastor and leader of a starvation cult, with murder in connection with the deaths of nearly 200 people in a forest near the Indian Ocean.
Mackenzie, already facing charges of terrorism, manslaughter, child torture, and cruelty, stood accused alongside dozens of suspected accomplices. According to court documents seen by Agence France-Presse, Mackenzie and 29 other suspects pleaded not guilty to 191 counts of murder.
However, one additional suspect was found to be mentally unfit to stand trial and was ordered to return to the Malindi High Court in a month’s time.
In January 2024, Kenyan authorities had outlawed Mackenzie’s Good News International Church, branding it an organized criminal group. This move followed the discovery last April of hundreds of bodies of Mackenzie’s followers who had perished from starvation, allegedly as per his instructions to “meet Jesus.”
The exhumation of over 400 bodies from the Shakahola forest near Kenya’s coast marked one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies in recent history. Prosecutors indicated plans to charge a total of 95 individuals with various offenses including murder, manslaughter, terrorism, and torture.
Delays in bringing charges were attributed to the challenging task of locating and exhuming numerous human remains and conducting autopsies. Some of Mackenzie’s surviving followers were found emaciated in the forest.
Reports suggest Mackenzie planned the mass starvation in stages, targeting children, women, young men, and finally, the remaining men. He reportedly prohibited cult members from sending their children to school or seeking medical care, labeling such institutions as satanic.
In a separate legal matter, Mackenzie received a 12-month sentence in December for producing and distributing films without approval from the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).
The charges against Mackenzie and his associates underscore the gravity of their alleged crimes and the devastating impact of their actions on the lives of countless individuals.
