A Kenyan court is expected to deliver a judgment in a mass murder case involving controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 of his followers, who are accused of murdering 191 children by allegedly forcing them to starve to death, according to a BBC report.
The case centres on claims that the preacher’s followers were encouraged to fast to death in order to meet Jesus, under a doomsday doctrine that reportedly prohibited formal education and described modern medicine as evil.
Mackenzie and the 29 co-accused have denied the murder charges, insisting that no one was forced to die.
The case follows the discovery of more than 400 bodies in shallow graves in Shakahola Forest, near Kenya’s coastal region, where Mackenzie had established a community for his followers.
Prosecutors allege that children were among the victims of the starvation and other forms of violence linked to the group. Many of the bodies remain unidentified.
Mackenzie established Good News International Ministries in 2003 and attracted thousands of followers through church branches and televised sermons. His church reportedly closed in 2019, after which he moved to Shakahola Forest and encouraged his followers to join him.
Survivors have described how the group’s teachings discouraged medical treatment, with some saying they were denied medication because illness was considered a matter of faith.
The case is the first time Mackenzie is facing a verdict on the murder charges, although he and other alleged leaders are also facing separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and denying children access to education.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths, which have drawn widespread attention to the dangers of extremist religious teachings and the protection of vulnerable children.
The post Judgement day for Kenyan pastor accused of murdering 191 children in starvation cult first appeared on Eye Radio.