Pastor Paul Mackenzie surrenders to police after four congregants die of starvation

Controversial Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge at the Malindi chief magistrates court on Monday 6, May 2019. [Nehemiah Okwembah, Standard].

Pastor Paul Mackenzie has surrendered himself to the police at Malindi police station amidst investigations over the death of four of his followers who succumbed to starvation.

Pastor Makenzie surrendered on Friday evening, April 14, after he was said to have instructed his followers to go without food or water to supposedly save them from an imminent "painful death in the world".

Earlier on the Pastor denied having a church saying he had permanently closed it and was no longer involved in evangelism.

Four dead

Four worshippers of Pastor Paul Mackenzie's Good News International Church starved to death after going for days without food and water at Shakahola village in Magarini Constituency.

Their bodies were taken to the Malindi sub-county hospital mortuary on Thursday, April 13, pending identification and autopsy.

Mackenzie's followers say they have been told to fast to avoid "apocalyptic damnation".

According to the police report, the cops acted on a tip-off and visited the scene for fact-finding. They managed to rescue 15 people, among them four were emaciated and in critical condition. They died before reaching the hospital.

The other 11 people, including two minors, were admitted to the hospital.

The incident was reported at Langobaya police station under OB No. 07/14/4/2023.

Shallow grave

On Thursday, police also found a mass shallow grave at Shakahola Forest in Langobaya, Malindi.

''The police were unable to conduct any further activity at the mass grave because of the hostile residents in the forest believed to be the suspect's followers'' read part of the police report.

Malindi-based Directorate of Criminal Investigations officer Charles Kamau said they are planning to exhume bodies buried in the grave for further investigation.

Previous arrest

The self-styled spiritual leader, who was once a controversial televangelist, has been on the detectives' radar for allegedly preaching a dangerous doctrine that encourages his followers to starve themselves to death in order to reach heaven faster.

When the police visited the area on Thursday evening, April 13, they rescued the victims from his large farm but he was not arrested, despite being at the crime scene.

Last month Pastor Mackenzie was arrested for the deaths of two boys who died of starvation.

The Pastor was granted a Sh10,000 bail by Judge Olga Onalo of Malindi High Court, pending investigation.

The court is however yet to open his case since the government pathologist and officers from DCI are yet to exhume the bodies.

After his release, the controversial Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge said he had permanently closed his church and was no longer involved in evangelism.