The leader of a Kenyan cult, who is accused of urging more than 400 followers to starve themselves to death, has entered a plea of not guilty to manslaughter.
This case is one of the most severe instances of cult-related mass deaths in history.
Paul Mackenzie, who claims to be a pastor, appeared in court in Mombasa on Monday with 94 other defendants.
Mackenzie was apprehended in April after 429 bodies, including those of children, were discovered in mass graves in Shakahola, a secluded forest located about two hours west of Malindi.
The bodies exhibited signs of both starvation and physical assault.
Prosecutor Alexander Jami Yamina described this as an unprecedented manslaughter case in Kenya, noting that over 400 witnesses are expected to testify over the coming four days.
The prosecution has stated that the case is unique and will be handled under laws concerning suicide pacts.
The shocking revelations of last year, which became known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre,” stunned the nation.
Mackenzie is alleged to have told his followers that they could reach heaven more swiftly by ceasing to eat.
In addition to the manslaughter charges, Mackenzie is also facing two other trials: one for terrorism, which began in July, and another on child abuse charges, including allegations of torture, assault, cruelty, and depriving children of education.
He has denied all these allegations.
Survivors have reported that Mackenzie instructed his followers to have children starve first, followed by unmarried individuals, women, men, and lastly, church leaders.
Mackenzie founded the Good News International Church in 2003 but claimed to have closed it in 2019.
He had encouraged his followers to relocate to Shakahola forest to await the end of the world and “meet Jesus.”
Mackenzie is said to have owned 800 acres of the remote forest, which was divided into areas named after biblical locations such as Judea, Bethlehem, and Nazareth.
In March of this year, authorities began returning victims’ bodies to their families after months of DNA identification, with 34 bodies having been released so far.
Previously, Mackenzie had been arrested in 2017 and 2018 for discouraging children from attending school, arguing that education was “not recognized in the Bible.”
He also allegedly advised mothers against seeking medical help during childbirth and against vaccinating their children.
Last November, Mackenzie was convicted of operating an illegal film studio and distributing films without a proper license, leading to a one-year prison sentence.
Kenya, a deeply religious nation with 85% of its population identifying as Christian, has seen its share of people drawn into dangerous, unregulated religious groups or cults.
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