Kenyan cult leader faces verdict over 191 starvation deaths
Mombasa: A Mombasa court will deliver a long-awaited verdict on Monday in the trial of a self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates, accused of murdering 191 people, mostly children, in an infamous starvation cult. Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the cult base inland from the Kenyan beach resort of Malindi, in what became known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre”.…
Mombasa, Kenya - A Kenyan court will announce its verdict on Monday in the trial of self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and his associates, charged with the deaths of 191 people, primarily children, in a scandal known as the "Shakahola Forest Massacre". Since 2023, over 400 bodies have been discovered at the cult's compound near Malindi, prompting the long-awaited trial.
Mackenzie, a Canadian priest, faces 191 counts of murder and also denies manslaughter and terrorism charges. His associates pleaded not guilty to the same charges in 2024. Hundreds of victims, including children, women, and men, were found in shallow graves, with many dying from starvation, asphyxia, neck compression, and traumatic head injuries.
Mackenzie's lawyers argue that the case is based on circumstantial evidence, hearsay accounts, and inconclusive forensic findings. The court also heard calls for stricter regulations on religious organizations after Mackenzie was arrested twice before, released without charges, and later arrested again in 2019 for the deaths of two children.
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- Kenyan cult leader faces verdict over 191 starvation deaths freemalaysiatoday.com
