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☆ Paul Mackenzie: Alleged Kenyan cult leader and suspects to face charges, prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —Alleged Kenyan Christian cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 94 other suspects will face 10 charges for their involvement in a deadly cult, according to a statement from the office of the director of public prosecutions on Tuesday. The suspects will be charged with murder, manslaughter, and assault causing bodily harm, the statement listed. At least 429 bodies were recovered from the forest in eastern Kenya where Mackenzie and his followers were living. The suspects will face charges of subjecting a child to torture, cruelty to a child, and infringing a child’s right to education. All 95 suspects will be formally charged in court in the town of Malindi on Wednesday.

Persons: Kenya CNN —, Paul Mackenzie, Mackenzie Organizations: Kenya CNN, Kenyan Christian Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Malindi

☆ Kenya Doomsday Cult Leader Jailed for Unlicensed Film Production
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult, in which authorities believe more than 400 members may have died, was jailed on Friday for 12 months for producing and distributing films without a licence. Police have exhumed hundreds of bodies from mass graves in Shakahola forest in the country's southeast. Mackenzie handed himself in to police in April and has repeatedly been denied bail while investigations continue into the mass deaths. He has not yet been charged for his alleged role in the deaths or entered a plea. On Friday Magistrate Olga Onalo found the self-styled pastor guilty of operating a film studio, producing films and showing them to members of the public without a valid licence.

Persons: Paul Mackenzie, Mackenzie, Olga Onalo, James Mouko, Humphrey Malalo, Hereward Holland, William Maclean Organizations: Good News International Church, . Police, Local Locations: NAIROBI, Kenyan

☆ Kenyan starvation cult suspect dies in custody after hunger strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Kenyan accused of involvement in the deaths of hundreds of members of a starvation cult has died after a 10-day hunger strike in police custody, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Joseph Buyuka was among 30 people, including self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie of Good News International Church, in custody over the deaths of 337 followers of the church. Authorities have exhumed most of the bodies from the forest in southeast Kenya since April. “He died …(due to) … complications from hunger strike and starvation, but we will await postmortem report,” Yamina told a court in Mombasa. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki had expressed concern in May that some of Mackenzie’s rescued followers were refusing food.

Persons: CNN —, Joseph Buyuka, Paul Mackenzie, …, Buyuka, Jami Yamina, “, ” Yamina, ” Mackenzie, Kithure Kindiki, Mackenzie’s Organizations: CNN, Good News International Church, Police Locations: Shakahola, Kenya, Malindi, Mombasa, “

Malindi, Kenya CNN —The reddish soil of the Shakahola forest is still giving up its terrible secrets. The cult was preparing for the end of the world under the instruction of their its powerful pastor, say investigators. Many find it difficult to comprehend the dark path that Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie allegedly took his followers along. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesAt a recent hearing Mackenzie denied all knowledge of the horrors that witnesses, inspectors, and survivors believe happened in the Shakahola forest. ‘Intoxicating power’To understand the Shakahola cult, the focus must be on Mackenzie, says Rick Ross, a leading American cult expert who has studied destructive cults for decades.

Persons: Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, Paul Mackenzie, David McKenzie, ’ ”, Agnes, Mackenzie, “, ”, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Rick Ross, “ It’s, Ross, Charles Manson, David Koresh, Joseph Kibwetere, Geoffrey Wango, Wango, Ruto, Nxivm, God, Naomi Kahindi's, Mwangi, Francis Wanje, Wanje’s, It’s, Wanje, Khalid Hussein, Mackenzie's, Monicah Mwangi, Jesus, couldn’t, didn’t, David Man’ong’o Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN, Good News International Ministry, Criminal Investigations, Getty, Nairobi University, Kenyan, Reuters, . Police, Public Prosecutions Locations: Malindi, Kenya, Galilee, Bethlehem, Shakahola, AFP, American, Africa

☆ The leader of a starvation cult is still eating food, but 318 of his followers have died, and 64 are on hunger strike, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Followers of a starvation cult will undergo psychiatric evaluations as they continue to refuse food. Authorities have so far uncovered the bodies of 318 members of the Kenyan cult, per CNN. The members had been rescued from the Shakahola forest, which the leader dubbed a new "Holy Land." The cult's leader, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, was reportedly arrested on April 15 amid investigations into the death of four followers who died of starvation. On Monday, the 64 cult followers were charged with attempted suicide for continuing to refuse food, according to CNN.

Persons: —, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, Mackenzie, Smart, Paul Mackenzie, Stringer Organizations: Authorities, Kenyan, CNN, Service, Mackenzie's Good, International Church, Good News International Church, REUTERS, Twitter, Public Prosecutions, Prosecutors Locations: Shanzu, Mombasa, Kenya

☆ Death toll from Kenyan doomsday cult crosses 300
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI, June 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from a Kenyan starvation cult crossed 300 on Tuesday after authorities exhumed more bodies in a forest, in one of the worst cult-related tragedies in recent history. A total of 303 people have now died after 19 bodies were exhumed from mass graves in Shakahola forest in the country's southeast. Around 65 rescued followers of the self-styled pastor were charged with attempted suicide on Monday after they refused to eat between June 6 and June 10 during their stay at a rescue centre, local media reported. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki expressed concern last month that some of Mackenzie's rescued followers were refusing food. Relatives of his followers say he then returned to the forest and moved forward his predicted end of the world date from August to April 15.

Persons: Paul Mackenzie, Rhoda Onyancha, Kithure Kindiki, Mackenzie's, Mackenzie, Joseph Akwiri, Bhargav Acharya, Mark Potter Organizations: Authorities, Good News International Church, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI

Pamela Mukalasinga, 54, a small-scale trader and mother of five, would tune in religiously to Mackenzie’s Times TV channel. “The rescued child narrated the sufferings his two siblings underwent after being starved for some time before their mother suffocated them to death,” prosecutors said. Many of those found in the forest are believed to be followers of Mackenzie. This is extremism and brainwashing of the highest order,” Walid Sketty of Kenya-based human rights group Haki Africa, which has been involved in rescue operations at Shakahola, told CNN. Shibutse recalls that his mother started to observe some of Mackenzie’s doctrines denouncing healthcare and modern education for children.

Persons: Rodgers Shibutse, Pamela, Paul Mackenzie, Pamela Mukalasinga, Shibutse, Rodgers, Mackenzie, “, Paul McKenzie, ”, Malindi, ” Mackenzie, George Kariuki, Pastor Mackenzie, ” Kariuki, Kariuki, Titus Katana, GNI, Katana, “ Mackenzie, Yasuyoshi Chiba, I’ve, ” Walid Sketty, Johansen Oduor, ” Oduor, Oduor, ” Shibutse, Robert, Mackenzie’s GNI, Gideon Mung’aro, Mackenzie wasn’t, Moses Odhiambo, Kithure Kindiki, Ezekiel Ombok Odero, ” Kindiki, Jared Magolo, “ It’s, Pastor Odero, hasn’t, Odero, Odhiambo Organizations: CNN, Mackenzie’s Times, Good News International, Kenyan Red Cross, Police, National Police, Kenyan, …, Nation . Police, Workers, Getty, Government, Digital, Times TV, Citizen Digital, Prosecutors, New, Centre Church, Kenya’s Communications Authority Locations: Kenya’s, Bungoma County, Malindi, Kenya, Shakahola, Mombasa, AFP, Africa, ”, bodybags, Kenyan, Haki Africa, “, Kilifi County, Odero

Mombasa, Kenya CNN —The leader of a Christian cult who has been accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves appeared in court in Mombasa, Kenya on Friday, telling CNN afterwards that the hearing is a “matter of intimidation” and time-wasting. Paul Nthenge Mackenzie was arrested last month after police received a tipoff that his land on the Shakahola forest in the Kilifi County of eastern Kenya contained mass graves. According to court documents, investigators have so far found 249 bodies and at least 10 mass graves in the Shakahola forest area. Mackenzie who appeared before the magistrate’s court in Mombasa, told CNN’s David McKenzie that he had “never seen anybody starving” when asked about accusations that followers of his group had starved their children following his instructions. In court documents dated Friday, the state prosecutor said it would seek to extend the respondents’ custody period by a further 60 days.

Persons: ”, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, Mackenzie, CNN’s David McKenzie Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN Locations: Mombasa, Kenya, Kilifi

☆ Kenya doomsday cult death toll climbs to 201 - official
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHAKAHOLA FOREST, Kenya, May 13 (Reuters) - Searchers for survivors and victims of a doomsday cult in Kenya's Shakahola forest discovered 22 more bodies on Saturday, according to a regional governmental official. The discoveries bring the death toll of one of the country's worst tragedies to 201. She said one more suspect had also been arrested, bringing the total number of those detained over the deaths to 26. On Friday, 29 bodies were unearthed, including those of 12 children which were found in one grave. Reporting by Joseph Akwiri Writing by Elias Biryabarema Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kenya court denies bail for alleged death cult leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOMBASA, Kenya, May 10 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday extended by 30 days the detention of cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who authorities accuse of ordering followers to starve their children and themselves to death. The death toll has climbed to 133, and hundreds of people are still reported missing. Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, has not yet been required to enter a plea after handing himself into police last month. A lawyer representing Mackenzie, George Kariuki, has said the self-styled pastor is cooperating with investigators. Wycliffe Makasembo, a lawyer for Mackenzie and his wife, who is also detained, said he would appeal against the decision.

☆ Forest search resumes for Kenyan death cult victims of 'highly organised crime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHAKAHOLA FOREST, Kenya, May 9 (Reuters) - Kenyan investigators have resumed the search for members of a doomsday cult in a forest where more than 100 corpses, mostly of children, have been exhumed, victims of a "highly organised crime", Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Tuesday. "We have many more graves in this forest, and therefore it leads us to conclude that this was a highly organised crime," Kindiki told reporters. Search and rescue efforts for people "suspected to be holed up in the thickets and bushes have been going on". President William Ruto on Friday announced an inquiry into the mass deaths, while a court kept Mackenzie in detention pending further investigations. Reporting by Dicksy Obiero in the Shakahola Forest and Hereward Holland and Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inside a Kenyan starvation cult and its tragic end in a forest of death
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Mackenzie, 50, is in police custody and has yet to be required to enter a plea to any charge related to the mass graves, which are still being exhumed. HUNDREDS STILL MISSINGThe death toll stands at 109 so far, with 101 found in mass graves and eight people found alive who later died. On April 13, police acting on a tip-off returned to the forest and found 15 emaciated people lying in the forest, according to police who said four of them were so weak they died before reaching hospital. On April 21, they began exhuming mass graves. Charo said he was horrified last month when he learned about the mass graves found in the forest.

☆ Kenyan cult leader appears in court after more than 100 followers die
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters) - A Kenyan cult leader accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death appeared in court on Tuesday as investigators searched for more bodies in a forest in eastern Kenya where 101 corpses have already been unearthed. The death toll stands at 109 - 101 bodies, mostly children, found in mass graves and eight people found alive who later died - but could rise further. An investigator involved in the case, who did not wish to be identified, told Reuters Mackenzie has denied ordering his followers to fast. Kenyan media reported that the Malindi court transferred the case to the larger port city of Mombasa. Most showed signs of starvation, while two children showed signs of asphyxiation, he said.

☆ Kenyan cult leader to remain in prison after more than 100 followers die
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An investigator involved in the case, who did not wish to be identified, told Reuters that Mackenzie has denied ordering his followers to fast. Paul Mackenzie, 50, a Kenyan cult leader accused of ordering his followers of the members of the Good News International Church to starve themselves to death in Shakahola forest, appears at Malindi Law Courts, in Malindi, Kenya, May 2, 2023. Angry residents gathered and started throwing stones at the compound protected by a high wall and barbed wire on top. They later destroyed the front part of the wall, Komora said, adding that police had to fire teargas to disperse them. Most showed signs of starvation, while two children showed signs of asphyxiation, he said.

Eight cult members who were found emaciated in the forest died later. Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14 alongside 14 other suspected cult members. Two showed signs of asphyxiation, he added. Children account for most of the bodies recovered so far, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Friday. On Sunday, President William Ruto said he would appoint a judicial commission of inquiry this week to probe what happened in Shakahola.

Authorities have recovered 101 bodies from shallow graves since April 21, while eight cult members were found alive but died later. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14, held alongside 14 other cult members. Children account for most of the bodies recovered so far, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Friday. Kindiki said the autopsies will look at all possibilities, including whether or not some bodies had missing organs. Oduor said the government was collecting DNA samples from those who had reported missing relatives and would do the matching in a process that would take at least a month.

☆ Children account for majority of Kenyan cult deaths, interior minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Followers of the Good News International Church near the coastal town of Malindi reportedly believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves. "The reports we are getting are that many of the recoveries are of children... Children are the majority, followed by women. "The preliminary reports we are getting is that some of the victims may not have died of starvation. REUTERS/Joseph OkangaPASTORS ARRESTEDThe leader of the Good News International Church, Paul Mackenzie, has been in police custody since April 14. On Thursday, he did not respond to questions from journalists as he was escorted into a police station.

NAIROBI, April 27 (Reuters) - A Kenyan church leader was arrested on Thursday over the "mass killing of his followers", the interior minister said, just days after the leader of a cult based in the same region was detained and mass graves of his followers were found. REUTERS/Stringer 1 2 3 4Odero was "being processed to face criminal charges related to mass killing of his followers," Interior Minister Kindiki wrote on Twitter. Mackenzie was arrested again on April 14, and held alongside 14 other members of his church. The death toll among Mackenzie's followers is expected to rise further. Reporting by George Obulutsa; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by James Macharia ChegeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kenyan father searches for wife and six children among dead cult members
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The children who have been rescued, I went and had a look and I did not see my children," Mwiti said as he waved a photo of his wife and four of the children. Mwiti said his wife took the children in 2021 to live among members of the Good News International Church, 89 of whom are known to have died. The leader of the cult, Paul Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14, held alongside 14 other cult members. Authorities have recovered 81 bodies from shallow graves, while eight cult members died after being found alive. He said Mackenzie told them they could not pick up the children since they had all gone deeper into the forest.

☆ Kenyan cult leader told followers to starve themselves ahead of world's end, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The deaths amount to one of the worst cult-related tragedies in recent history and the toll is expected to rise further, with the Kenyan Red Cross saying more than 300 people have been reported as missing. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14, held alongside 14 other cult members. At the morgue at Malindi hospital, dozens of people were seeking news of relatives they feared were among the dead. The Red Cross has donated a refrigerated container on a truck to help preserve some of the corpses as the morgue is now too full. Two emaciated women were found alive early on Wednesday and were being evacuated to Malindi's hospital, according to Red Cross staff in Malindi.

CNN —Police have now recovered 89 bodies from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya, believed to be linked to a cult that allegedly encouraged its followers to starve themselves to gain salvation, the country’s government said. His lawyer told CNN on Tuesday he was denied bail over investigation interference fears. “The court is of the opinion that he might interfere with investigations,” Nthege’s lawyer George Kariuki told CNN. Kariuki said prosecutors have been given 14 days to investigate the case, adding that Nthege has not been charged. The case has sent shockwaves through Kenya and the government has vowed tighter regulations on religious bodies and organizations.

☆ Kenya: Death toll in starvation cult rises to 58, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Kenyan police have recovered 58 bodies from mass graves in the Shakahola forest in eastern Kenya, thought to be followers of a Christian cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves, the country’s police chief said on Monday. Police near the coastal town of Malindi started exhuming bodies on Friday from the Shakahola forest. Earlier this month, police rescued 15 members of the group – worshippers at the church – who they said had been told to starve themselves to death. Local media, citing police sources, reported that Mackenzie has refused to eat or drink while in police custody. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said the entire 800 acre forest had been sealed off and declared a scene of crime.

☆ Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult rises to 58 - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hereward Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The death toll, which has repeatedly risen as exhumations have been carried out, could rise further. The Kenyan Red Cross said 112 people have been reported missing to a tracing and counselling desk it has set up at a local hospital. Kenya's Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, visiting the scene, said the death toll included 50 people found in mass graves as well as eight who were found alive and emaciated, but later died. Koome said 14 other cult members were in police custody. Reporting by Hereward Holland; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Number of bodies exhumed from suspected Kenyan cult graves jumps to 47
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Humphrey Malalo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/StringerNAIROBI, April 23 (Reuters) - Kenyan police have now exhumed the bodies of 47 people thought to be followers of a Christian cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves to death. Police near the coastal town of Malindi started exhuming bodies on Friday from the Shakahola forest. "In total, 47 people have died at the Shakahola forest," detective Charles Kamau told Reuters on Sunday. The leader of the church, Paul Mackenzie, was arrested following a tip-off that suggested the existence of shallow graves belonging to at least 31 of Mackenzie's followers. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said the entire 800 acre forest had been sealed off and declared a scene of crime.

☆ Kenya police begin exhuming remains from suspected Christian cult graves
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Humphrey Malalo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Police began exhuming bodies on Friday, said Charles Kamau, a detective in the nearby town of Malindi, without giving further details. The leader of the church, Paul Mackenzie, was arrested following a tip-off that also suggested the existence of shallow graves belonging to at least 31 of Mackenzie's followers. Police said the 15 rescued worshippers had been told to starve themselves to death so they could meet their creator. Matthew Shipeta from Haki Africa, a human rights group, said he had seen at least 15 shallow graves in the forest. "Personally I have visited about 18 children's graves," Mikali told Citizen TV.

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