Deadly cults: More bodies of pastor's followers found as police search for mass grave

Some of the victims who were rescued by police after they almost died of starvation during fasting directed by controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie. [Markion Kithi, Standard]

Police began combing the dusty village of Shakahola in Malindi yesterday, believing there is a mass grave of people who have starved to death, ostensibly to seek martyrdom.

Police retrieved the bodies of four people they believe died of starvation after self-proclaimed spiritual leader Paul Mackenzie told them to fast until they "met Jesus Christ."

Charles Kamau, a Malindi DCI officer, said 11 severely malnourished worshippers from Mackenzie's Good News International Church were rescued and taken to Malindi Sub-County Hospital.

Meanwhile, Pastor Mackenzie surrendered to the police in Malindi yesterday.

Earlier, sources in the security services said the police were hesitant to arrest the pastor until they discovered the suspected mass graves, fearing he would be released by the courts as before.

The deaths on Friday bring the total number of people who have died from starvation to six, following the deaths of two boys in mid-March. Mackenzie's summons was also linked to the boys' deaths, according to police.

"We went to the scene after receiving a tip and managed to rescue 15 people, four of whom were emaciated and in critical condition and died before reaching the hospital," said Malindi DCI Charles Kamau.

"The ignorant are starving to death under the guise of meeting Jesus after being brainwashed by suspect Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, the pastor of Good news International Church," he added.

The incident was reported to the police station in Langobaya. The bodies were discovered at the Malindi Hospital mortuary, awaiting identification and autopsies.

According to the police report, police discovered a shallow mass grave of victims at Shakahola Forest in Malindi sub-county's Langobaya.

"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," reads part of the report.

Police identified those in the hospital as Allan Obiero aged 17 years from Majengo, Wycliffe Waimoi, 43, from Kisumu West, and Jane Nyambura, 38, from Vihiga county.

Others are Mercy Aoko, 35, from Kisumu, Felix Wandera, 37, from Busia, David Abuhaya, 49, from Vihiga, Collins Kabaye, 22, from Mbale, Busia and Monica Masika, 36, from Kakamega.

Kamau said others hospitalised were Alfred Shitemi, 32, from Vihiga county, and Paul Karisa Katana from Bamba, Kilifi county. It was not clear when they travelled to Malindi.

Contrary to popular belief, the preacher does not prey on illiterate people. According to multiple interviews, followers are educated people who quit their jobs after joining the church.

Elias Khambi, a former church member, says Mackenzie instructs his congregation to quit their jobs, skip meals, and refuse medical treatment when they become ill.

Mackenzie, according to Khambi, instructed them to withdraw their children from school because "worldly education will count for nothing in heaven".

"I had been a follower of his sermons for six years. Three years ago, most of us moved with him to Shakahola village, where we met under a tree on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm."

Khambi said he left the church after learning that its teachings were not biblical. Humphrey Ngonyo, a former church member, also contributed to his remarks.

Ngonyo had information about the deaths of two boys in March. He said the boys were his nephews, whose father left the police force after joining the church.

"He was a GSU officer, but he resigned after joining the church," Ngonyo said in an early interview.

Mackenzie was arrested last month for the deaths of two boys but was later granted Sh10,000 bail by Malindi High Court Judge Olga Onalo pending an investigation.

We discovered yesterday that two children's bodies have yet to be exhumed, one month after a Malindi court issued the order. DCIO Macharia said the delay was caused by a lack of a government pathologist.

Mackenzie is no stranger to controversies. He says he is the target of hostile propaganda from former coworkers and church members.

His rise began shortly after the opening of his church in Malindi in 2003. In 2019, he closed his church and finished his evangelical work.

In a recent interview, Mackenzie denied having a church in Shakahola where people were allegedly starved to death. The state accuses Mackenzie of manipulating locals through distorted extreme religious doctrines and fear of the unknown in the pursuit of salvation, which has resulted in the deaths of many people.

Mackenzie and his wife, Joyce Mwikamba, were arrested and charged with incitement and indoctrination of children in Malindi, Kilifi county, in 2017.

According to police, Mackenzie's sermons against modernism, including education, spread like wildfire throughout Kilifi county, resulting in a large number of school dropouts.

"God's teachings, preaching, and prophecy on the end times, commonly known as eschatology, is aired through the gospel programme 'End Time Messages,' which can be viewed on decoders," according to the church's website.

The two denied charges of indoctrinating children and promoting radicalisation. In 2019, he was arrested again after launching crusades against Huduma Namba.

State agencies raided his church in Malindi's Furunzi neighbourhood and seized what they called deceptive videos critical of Huduma Namba's listing.

Detectives who raided the church claimed to have discovered "End Times" videos that linked the Huduma Namba to the 666 mark of the beast (indicated in the Bible as an evil number representing the devil).

Mackenzie was released in 2019 on a Sh1 million bond with a Sh500,000 bail option. A Malindi court is still hearing the case.

Aside from anti-education and Huduma Namba sermons, the pastor encourages his followers to quit their jobs and devote their time to prayer and fasting because the end of the world is approaching.

His sermons, on the other hand, enraged the country's highest office, with President Uhuru Kenyatta publicly rebuking him in 2019, saying he was abusing his position as a cleric to mislead worshippers.

"As a Christian, I respect preachers. However, I was surprised to hear some of them claim that the Huduma Namba is the devil's number," Uhuru said.

Mackenzie was charged in Malindi with disobeying the law, religious incitement, and indoctrination of children to drop out of school a few days later.

Mackenzie stated in March that he closed his church in 2019 after "completing my work of prophecy to the world," and that the Huduma Namba remained a mark of the beast.

Locals are among them. According to James Kenga, the influx of land buyers to the Shakahola neighbourhood is due in part to its low cost. According to him, an acre of land costs around Sh5,000, making it appealing to investors.

"However, in 2020, we began to see an increase in the number of church groups, particularly for women. The majority of these groups came from Nairobi and Malindi," Kenga said.

Most of those who have purchased land in the area are followers of Mackenzie.