In one of the deadliest cult massacres ever recorded in Kenya, at least 436 bodies were discovered after authorities raided the Good News International Church, located in a forest about 70 kilometers inland from Malindi, Kenya. More than a year later, the community remains deeply unsettled despite prior warnings about the church’s leader, Paul Mackenzie.
Mackenzie, who is accused of instructing his followers to starve to death for the opportunity to meet Jesus, recently pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering 191 children and various counts of manslaughter.
According to Thomas Kakala, a local bishop quoted by news agency AP, Mackenzie distanced himself from mainstream religious leaders and operated with a dangerous level of autonomy, thriving in a nation where evangelical Christianity has rapidly spread since the 1980s.
“You look at them. If you are sober and you want to hear the word of God, you wouldn’t go to their church,” he was quoted as saying.
“But the place is packed.”
Mackenzie, once a street vendor and taxi driver with limited education, started his church in 2003 in Malindi. He gained national attention by performing miracles and exorcisms, drawing followers from across Kenya, including professionals like teachers and police officers.
Despite warnings about his increasingly radical practices—such as opposing formal education and vaccinations—Mackenzie’s influence grew. He eventually relocated his congregation to Shakahola, a remote forest area where he leased 800 acres. Church members were required to build homes and live in isolated villages with biblical names. Survivors reported Mackenzie’s growing demands, including the order for children to fast to death.
“As a religious leader, I see Mackenzie as a very mysterious man because I can’t fathom how he was able to kill all those people in one place,” a survivor was quoted as telling news agency AP.
“But one thing that’s still puzzling, even at the moment, is he still talks with so much courage. … He feels like he did nothing wrong.”
Mackenzie lived in a solar-powered house, stocked with food, while his followers starved. He commanded bodyguards and informers, and cultivated a prophetic image that allowed him to control thousands of obedient followers.
Survivors shared chilling accounts of brutality in Shakahola, where those who tried to leave faced beatings, and starvation victims were taken away, never to be seen again. Many women were subjected to routine sexual violence. Autopsies revealed deaths from starvation, strangulation, and blunt force injuries, with the Kenya Red Cross reporting at least 600 people still missing.
Former followers, like Priscillar Riziki, spoke of Mackenzie’s initial charm, which gradually gave way to cruelty. Riziki lost her daughter and three grandchildren to the cult’s practices, with only one grandchild’s body identified through DNA analysis.
Mackenzie’s grip over his followers tightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he promoted more extreme fasting. While some managed to escape and warn others, police largely failed to intervene.
( with inputs from AP)
Mackenzie, who is accused of instructing his followers to starve to death for the opportunity to meet Jesus, recently pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering 191 children and various counts of manslaughter.
According to Thomas Kakala, a local bishop quoted by news agency AP, Mackenzie distanced himself from mainstream religious leaders and operated with a dangerous level of autonomy, thriving in a nation where evangelical Christianity has rapidly spread since the 1980s.
“You look at them. If you are sober and you want to hear the word of God, you wouldn’t go to their church,” he was quoted as saying.
“But the place is packed.”
Mackenzie, once a street vendor and taxi driver with limited education, started his church in 2003 in Malindi. He gained national attention by performing miracles and exorcisms, drawing followers from across Kenya, including professionals like teachers and police officers.
Despite warnings about his increasingly radical practices—such as opposing formal education and vaccinations—Mackenzie’s influence grew. He eventually relocated his congregation to Shakahola, a remote forest area where he leased 800 acres. Church members were required to build homes and live in isolated villages with biblical names. Survivors reported Mackenzie’s growing demands, including the order for children to fast to death.
“As a religious leader, I see Mackenzie as a very mysterious man because I can’t fathom how he was able to kill all those people in one place,” a survivor was quoted as telling news agency AP.
“But one thing that’s still puzzling, even at the moment, is he still talks with so much courage. … He feels like he did nothing wrong.”
Mackenzie lived in a solar-powered house, stocked with food, while his followers starved. He commanded bodyguards and informers, and cultivated a prophetic image that allowed him to control thousands of obedient followers.
Survivors shared chilling accounts of brutality in Shakahola, where those who tried to leave faced beatings, and starvation victims were taken away, never to be seen again. Many women were subjected to routine sexual violence. Autopsies revealed deaths from starvation, strangulation, and blunt force injuries, with the Kenya Red Cross reporting at least 600 people still missing.
Former followers, like Priscillar Riziki, spoke of Mackenzie’s initial charm, which gradually gave way to cruelty. Riziki lost her daughter and three grandchildren to the cult’s practices, with only one grandchild’s body identified through DNA analysis.
Mackenzie’s grip over his followers tightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he promoted more extreme fasting. While some managed to escape and warn others, police largely failed to intervene.
( with inputs from AP)