Kenya starvation cult leader goes on trial on terrorism charges
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The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult faces charges related to the deaths of more than 400 of his followers.
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Self-proclaimed pastor Kenyan Paul Nthenge Mackenzie went on trial on July 8, 2024. (AFP)
On Monday, the leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult went on trial facing terrorism charges related to the deaths of more than 400 of his followers in a shocking case that garnered global attention. Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, a self-proclaimed pastor, appeared in a court in Mombasa alongside 94 co-defendants, according to an AFP journalist.
Arrested in April of last year, Mackenzie was accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death to "meet Jesus".
Mackenzie and his co-accused pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in January. Additionally, they face separate charges of murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and child torture and cruelty.
In a remote area near the coastal town of Malindi, over 440 bodies were discovered in the Shakahola forest. The case, known as the "Shakahola forest massacre", revealed that while starvation was the primary cause of death, some victims, including children, were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.
Also, previous court documents indicated that some bodies were missing organs.
Security officers accused of negligence
Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, surrendered on April 14 after police, acting on a tip-off, entered Shakahola forest and discovered mass graves. In March, authorities began releasing victims' bodies to grieving families after months of DNA identification work.
The case has raised questions about how Mackenzie, with a history of extremism and previous legal issues, managed to evade law enforcement scrutiny. Last year, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki criticized Kenyan police for their laxity in investigating the initial starvation reports.
During a senate committee hearing, he said "The Shakahola massacre is the worst breach of security in the history of our country," vowing to "relentlessly push for legal reforms to tame rogue preachers".
The state-backed Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in March criticized security officers in Malindi for "gross abdication of duty and negligence".
The horrific saga has prompted President William Ruto to vow intervention in Kenya's homegrown religious movements. In largely Christian Kenya, it has also highlighted the failed efforts to regulate unscrupulous churches and cults that have engaged in criminal activities.
