The head of a Kenyan cult accused of encouraging more than 400 followers to go on hunger strikes has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, in one of the worst cult-related mass murder cases ever.
Self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie appeared in court in the coastal city of Mombasa along with 94 other suspects on Monday.
Mr Mackenzie was arrested in April last year after 429 bodies, including children, were dug up from mass graves in Shakahola, a remote forest area about two hours’ drive west of the town of Malindi. Most of the bodies showed signs of starvation and assault.
“There has never been a case of manslaughter like this in Kenya,” prosecutor Alexander Jami Yamina told AFP.
Prosecutors say more than 400 witnesses will testify over the next four days.
Mr Yamina said the case was unique in Kenya and the suspects would be prosecuted under laws relating to suicide pacts.
When the incident broke last year, Kenyans were shocked and horrified to see how willing people were to starve themselves to death. The incident became known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre.”
Mr Mackenzie is said to have told his followers that they would get to heaven faster if they stopped eating.
Mr Mackenzie also faces two other trials: one on terrorism charges that began in July and another on child abuse charges, including torture, assault, cruelty to children and violating a child’s right to education – which he denies.
Survivors said children were said to be the first to starve, under a chilling order issued by Mr Mackenzie. Then the unmarried, women, men and finally church leaders.
Mr Mackenzie founded Good News International Church in 2003, but said he closed it in 2019.
He encouraged his followers to move to Shakahola Forest and prepare for the end of the world to “meet Jesus”.
Pastor Mackenzie reportedly owns 800 acres of remote forest land where there is no cell service.
The forest is divided into several different areas and named after biblical places, such as Judea, Bethlehem and Nazareth.
In March this year, authorities returned some of the victims’ bodies to their relatives after months of identifying them through DNA testing. So far, 34 bodies have been returned.
Mr. Mackenzie preaches that formal education is evil and used for blackmail.
In 2017 and 2018, he was arrested for encouraging children to not go to school because he said education was “not recognized in the Bible”.
He is also accused of encouraging mothers to avoid seeking medical care during childbirth and not vaccinating their children.
Mr Mackenzie was convicted last November of illegally operating a film studio related to his preaching and film distribution activities without a valid filming permit and sentenced to one year in prison.
Kenya is a deeply religious country, with 85% of the population identifying as Christian. There have been previous cases of people being lured into dangerous, unregulated churches or cults.
