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Tag: Paul Mackenzie

  • Kenyan authorities criticized for ignoring credible reports on doomsday cult

    Kenyan authorities criticized for ignoring credible reports on doomsday cult

    Kenyan authorities disregarded “credible reports” concerning a doomsday cult, where over 400 members were found buried in shallow graves, as stated by a state-funded human rights watchdog.

    Last year, the bodies of 429 individuals, including children, were uncovered in Shakahola, a forest near Malindi.

    Survivors and families of victims claimed that cult leader Paul Mackenzie encouraged fasting among his followers to “go see Jesus.”

    In its report, The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) condemned security officers in Malindi for “gross abdication of duty and negligence” preceding the fatalities.

    KNCHR chairwoman Roseline Odede stated, “They not only failed to be proactive in gathering and acting on intelligence to prevent the Shakahola massacre but also unjustifiably neglected to act on credible and actionable reports.”

    According to the report, justice officials deliberated radicalization linked to Mr. Mackenzie in 2019 but refrained from taking action.

    The rights group further noted that a former cult member faced accusations of making unfounded claims when attempting to raise the alarm.

    Mr. Mackenzie refuted any responsibility for the deaths. He, along with numerous followers, is presently facing trial for various charges, including terrorism, murder, and torture.

    On Wednesday, the Kenyan government announced plans to release some victims’ bodies to their families next week.

  • Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie faces charges for 191 murders

    Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie faces charges for 191 murders

    Paul Mackenzie, a cult leader in Kenya, along with 29 others, faces charges for the murder of 191 children, whose bodies were found buried in a forest.

    Despite the accusations, the defendants pleaded not guilty in a Malindi court, with one individual declared unfit for trial due to mental health reasons.

    Prosecutors allege that Mackenzie instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children in preparation for the apocalypse, leading to one of the most tragic cult-related incidents in recent memory.

    Members of Mackenzie’s Good News International Church lived in secluded settlements within Shakahola forest, where over 400 bodies were discovered.

    Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, has been in custody since his arrest in April of the previous year. He faces charges ranging from terrorism to manslaughter and torture, with a conviction in December for unauthorized film production, resulting in a 12-month jail sentence.

    According to some followers, Mackenzie prohibited children from attending school and discouraged seeking medical help, branding such institutions as Satanic.

    Mackenzie’s lawyer claims he is cooperating with the investigation into the deaths. The defendants are scheduled to appear in court on March 7 for a bond hearing, as announced by the judge.

  • Cult leader linked to 400 deaths in Kenya to undergo mental checkup

    Cult leader linked to 400 deaths in Kenya to undergo mental checkup

    A judge in Kenya has ordered that Paul Mackenzie, a cult leader arrested in connection with over 400 deaths, undergo mental health assessments before facing charges.

    Mackenzie, who claims to be a pastor leading a doomsday cult, was apprehended last April after numerous bodies were discovered in mass graves, showing signs of starvation and potential assault, including children.

    While prosecutors plan to charge him and 94 others with murder, manslaughter, terrorism, and torture, the court granted additional time to assess the mental fitness of MacKenzie and 30 other suspects before proceeding with the trial.

    In a shocking case that has garnered global attention, self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie, accused of leading a doomsday cult linked to over 400 deaths, must undergo mental health evaluations before facing charges.

    The bodies of 429 individuals, including children, were discovered in mass graves near Shakahola, Kenya.

    Mackenzie’s Good News International Church members were allegedly encouraged to move there to prepare for the apocalypse.

    Prosecutors intend to charge Mackenzie and 94 others with various crimes, but a court granted a 14-day extension for mental health assessments.

    Mackenzie denies responsibility, asserting the deaths occurred after he closed his church in 2019.

  • Kenyan cult leader accused of terrorism following killings

    Kenyan cult leader accused of terrorism following killings

    A Kenyan cult leader is being accused of killing a lot of people and causing terror. Prosecutors say he will be charged with murder and terrorism.

    Paul Mackenzie was taken by police in April after they found hundreds of dead bodies. Some of the people had died because they didn’t eat enough food.

    Kenyan lawyers say that he and 94 other people will be accused in a court in Malindi on Wednesday.

    The pastor says he is not responsible for the deaths.

    429 people, including children, have been found buried in a remote forest called Shakahola, which is about a two-hour drive west of Malindi. Many looked very hungry, but some, including children, may have been hurt.

    Mr Mackenzie is said to have told people in his church to go there and get ready for the end of the world.

    One person told the media that in January of last year, they were told to start fasting so they could “go to heaven. ”

    Mr Mackenzie said the deaths couldn’t be his fault because he closed his church in 2019.

    The investigators asked for him to stay in jail for a longer time while they kept looking for evidence.

    They said they have enough proof to accuse him and the others of crimes like murder, assault and helping a terrorist act.

    They are also accused of “hurting a child on purpose”, according to a statement from the head of public prosecutions.

    The list of charges came out a week after the court told the prosecutors they had two weeks to share them, or the suspects might be let go.

    64 out of the 95 people suspected of being involved were found in Shakahola. At first, they were thought to be victims and were taken to a rescue center.

    However, investigators later discovered that a lot of them had kids who had passed away in the forest.

    Some people had lied about their names and who they were and didn’t say where their kids were.

    Last November, Mr Mackenzie was found guilty of running a film studio without a valid filming license. He was also accused of distributing films without permission.

    More update on this story soon.

  • Cult in Kenya said to be the worst ever on security violation

    Cult in Kenya said to be the worst ever on security violation

    Kenya’s security minister says the deaths of more than 300 people linked to a doomsday cult in the Shakahola forest is the worst security breach in the country’s history.

    Ten more bodies were exhumed from the forest on Tuesday raising the death toll to 360.

    Appearing before a Senate committee, the minister, Prof Kithure Kindiki, further said that the suspected cult leader, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge’s activities, were reported from as early as 2020.

    “A report was filed at the Langobaya police station. No action was taken. Some of the officers and judicial officers must answer that question,” he said.

    It is estimated that at least 339 members of the Good News International Church either starved to death, were brutally beaten, or were strangled in the Shakahola forest in southeast Kenya.

    Mr. Mackenzie, the cult leader, allegedly persuaded his members to starve to death so they might see Jesus while preaching that the world was going to end.

    Mr. Mackenzie is not currently officially charged.

  • Kenya: Paul Mackenzie to face terrorism charges – Lawyer says

    Kenya: Paul Mackenzie to face terrorism charges – Lawyer says

    Two pastors based in coastal Kenya have appeared in court over the deaths at least 110 of their congregants, many of whom are believed to have starved to death.

    Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who set up the Good News International Church in 2003 and is accused of inciting followers to starve to death “to meet Jesus”, appeared in the dock in Malindi.

    He will face terrorism charges over the deaths of more than 100 people found buried in what has been dubbed the “Shakahola forest massacre,” prosecutors said.

    The small courtroom was packed with relatives of victims as Mackenzie, dressed in a pink and black jacket and brown trousers, was brought in by about half a dozen police officers along with eight other defendants.

    After a brief hearing, the case was moved to the high court in Kenya’s second-largest city of Mombasa, where the suspects will face terrorism charges, prosecutor Vivian Kambaga told AFP.