Kenyan cult leader to be charged with terrorism after 400 deaths

Summary:

• Kenyan prosecutors plan to charge cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 95 others with murder and terrorism after over 400 followers died, allegedly due to Mackenzie’s encouragement to starve themselves. The decision follows a court warning about potential release.

---

Kenyan prosecutors have announced their intention to press charges of murder and terrorism against a suspected cult leader, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, and around 95 other individuals in connection with the deaths of over 400 followers. This decision follows a court’s warning that it might be compelled to release Mackenzie.

The self-proclaimed pastor allegedly encouraged his adherents to starve themselves to death, purportedly to “meet Jesus,” a case that garnered global shock. Mackenzie was apprehended in April of the previous year after bodies were found in a forest near the Indian Ocean coast. Despite multiple extensions to his pre-trial detention, investigations have continued.

“After thorough examination of the evidence, the director of public prosecutions is confident that there is ample proof to charge 95 suspects,” stated the DPP’s office.

This development comes a week after a court granted authorities a 14-day window to prosecute the former taxi driver or release him. Mackenzie and his co-defendants will face charges including murder, manslaughter, terrorism, and “subjecting a child to torture,” according to prosecutors.

Although the timing of the court appearance for the 95 suspects remains unclear, prosecutors have committed to swiftly handling the cases. Autopsies have shown that a majority of the victims died from starvation, while others, including children, were seemingly strangled, beaten, or suffocated. The grim discoveries, known as the “Shakahola forest massacre,” have prompted the government to call for stricter controls on fringe denominations.

Kenya has a history of self-proclaimed pastors and movements. A senate commission reported in October that Mackenzie had faced charges in 2017 for extreme preaching, but the criminal justice system failed to deter his activities in Shakahola. Previously acquitted of radicalization charges in 2017, Mackenzie, who rejected the formal education system, was also linked to the deaths of two children in 2019. Despite being released on bail, he awaited trial.

As a predominantly Christian nation, Kenya has grappled with regulating unscrupulous churches and cults engaging in criminal activities, with over 4,000 registered churches in the country of 53 million people, according to government figures.

Follow @examinerug