Guru on trial
Kenya: Trial begins after “Shakahola massacre”
Strangled, beaten to death and suffocated children, the majority of 440 victims probably starved to death - this is the unbelievable outcome of a case that has shaken the whole of Kenya. A leader of a fasting sect has to stand trial for his atrocities.
The self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 other defendants appeared before the competent court in the port city of Mombasa on Monday. The public was excluded from the trial shortly after it began because a witness under police protection was due to testify. All defendants pleaded not guilty.
Torture and abuse of children
Mackenzie is also charged with murder and manslaughter as well as torture and abuse of children in other proceedings.
Hundreds of bodies discovered in the forest
The cult guru was arrested in April 2023 after hundreds of bodies were discovered in the Shakahola forest. Autopsies revealed that the majority of the more than 440 victims had died of starvation.
Others, including children, appear to have been strangled, beaten to death or suffocated. The case became known as the "Shakahola Forest Massacre" and prompted the government to announce stricter sectarian laws.
There are more than 4,000 registered churches in Kenya and there are always self-proclaimed priests and alleged religious communities founded by criminals. The "International Priesthoods of the Good News" founded by Mackenzie are said to be such an association.
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