The Paul Mackenzie trial has reached a critical stage in Kenya, as a judge begins delivering a verdict in a mass murder case involving the controversial preacher and 29 of his followers.
The defendants are accused of murdering 191 people, including 190 children. Prosecutors allege that followers were encouraged to starve themselves and their children to death in the belief that they would meet Jesus.
Mackenzie and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty. They have repeatedly denied that anyone was forced to die.
Paul Mackenzie Trial Centres on Shakahola Deaths
The case is linked to the Shakahola forest tragedy near Kenya’s coast. Authorities say more than 400 bodies were recovered from shallow graves in the area where Mackenzie’s followers had settled.
Investigators allege that the group’s teachings promoted extreme fasting and discouraged conventional education and modern medicine. The prosecution says these beliefs contributed to the deaths.
The pastor founded Good News International Ministries in 2003. His church attracted thousands of followers through branches across Kenya and sermons broadcast on its television station, Times TV.
In 2019, the main church closed, and Mackenzie moved to Shakahola forest, where he encouraged followers to join him.
Survivors Describe Life Under the Pastor’s Teachings
Some survivors have described how the group’s teachings affected their families and health.
Peter Shukrani, who joined Mackenzie’s church as a child, said his mother refused to give him medication because she believed medicine was evil. His condition worsened until he was rescued from the forest in March 2023.
Shukrani still defends the pastor, saying followers chose to fast because of their beliefs. He maintains that Mackenzie did not force anyone to participate.
Another man, Stephen Mwiti, said he lost all six of his children after his family became involved with the group. He told the BBC that he only recovered and buried the remains of one of his sons.
Mwiti’s former wife is among the people accused alongside Mackenzie.
Gravediggers Recount Horrific Discoveries
Workers hired to exhume bodies from the forest described finding multiple victims in shallow graves. Some were reportedly infants and young children.
One gravedigger, identified as James, told the BBC that some graves contained at least three bodies. He also recalled finding 12 children buried together in one grave.
Another worker, Salim Karisa, said the operation appeared secretive despite the group’s occasional visits to nearby communities for supplies and water.
The discoveries prompted a major investigation into the deaths and the teachings that allegedly influenced the followers.
Pastor Faces Other Legal Cases
The murder trial is the first time Mackenzie has faced a verdict on the most serious charges linked to the deaths. He and other group leaders also face separate legal proceedings involving allegations of terrorism, radicalisation and denying children access to education.
His son, Dan Paul Mackenzie, who said he worked as a camera operator at the church, believes his father should be found guilty. He argued that the pastor was the leader whom followers looked up to.
The court’s verdict will determine the outcome of the murder charges against Mackenzie and the other defendants.