Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of an evangelical cult in Kenya, who incited his followers to fast until they starved to "find Jesus," was charged with the "murder" of 191 children last Tuesday by the Malindi High Court. These charges come in addition to those already pending against him for "torture," "cruelty" and "manslaughter." Mackenzie has been in prison since April 2023, when the remains of more than 400 people were discovered buried in the Shakahola forest.
The chief suspect in the Shakahola massacre, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, and 29 others were today charged before Malindi High Court with the murder of 191 children.#HakiNaUsawa pic.twitter.com/vplT9lYtnY
— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) February 6, 2024
Starved, strangled to death, beaten and suffocated
According to autopsies, most of the victims died of starvation, while others, including children, were reportedly strangled, beaten or suffocated. The murder charges stem from these cases, while those who died of starvation were considered "involuntary manslaughter," AFP reports.
The pastor and the other 29 defendants pleaded "not guilty" to the murder charge, and reiterated their innocence in the face of the "terrorism" charges hanging over them, among others. The authorities divided the accusation against the pastor in four aspects (terrorism, crimes against minors, murder, involuntary manslaughter) which were distributed among four courts: three in Mombasa and one in Malindi, which is in the southeast of the country. At this moment, the Kenyan justice system has not confirmed if there will be a single trial or four different ones.
