Kenyan cult leader faces murder charges

A Kenyan court has granted prosecutors a two-week window to conduct mental health assessments on self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his suspected accomplices.

This comes in the aftermath of the deaths of over 400 followers allegedly led by Mackenzie to starve themselves to death in an attempt to “meet Jesus.”

Mackenzie, a former taxi driver turned cult leader, was arrested last April after authorities discovered bodies in the Shakahola forest near the Indian Ocean.

Autopsies revealed that the majority of the victims had succumbed to hunger, while others, including children, showed signs of strangulation, beatings, or suffocation.

The pre-trial detention of Mackenzie, held in the coastal town of Mombasa, had been extended multiple times as prosecutors delved deeper into the case. However, a recent court warning stated that Mackenzie would be released unless charges were filed within 14 days.

On Wednesday, prosecutors sought a further extension from the Malindi High Court to determine the fitness of Mackenzie and 31 other suspects to stand trial for murder.

Judge Mugure Thande expressed doubts about the feasibility of completing mental health assessments within one week, supporting the prosecution’s request for the allotted 14 days.

Pleas are expected to be filed on February 6, with the prosecution asserting they have “sufficient evidence to prosecute 95 suspects” on charges of murder, manslaughter, and terrorism. However, the fate of the remaining 64 suspects remains unclear.

This gruesome case, referred to as the “Shakahola forest massacre,” has ignited calls for tighter control over fringe denominations in Kenya.

A Senate commission of inquiry disclosed that Mackenzie had faced charges in 2017 for extreme preaching, leading to his acquittal on charges of radicalization. In 2019, he was accused of links to the death of two children and released on bail pending trial.

As Kenya, a predominantly Christian nation, grapples with regulating unscrupulous churches and cults engaging in criminal activities, the government is urged to address the need for enhanced oversight over the country’s 4,000 registered churches.