Nairobi, Kenya (Commonwealth Union)_A Christian cult leader in Kenya sat in a packed courtroom this week facing charges of mass murder over the deaths of more than one hundred followers who died of starvation and asphyxiation.  Leader of Good News International Church Paul Mackenzie is believed to be responsible for the bodies of mostly children, found in the Shakahola Forest. He is believed to have told his followers that the world will end on April 15th and if they starve to death, they will ‘meet Jesus’.
The hearing which was initially held in a small court in Malindi, was moved to the High Court of Mombasa, where Mackenzie will face terrorism charges.
A host of mass graves were discovered last month in a forest near the coastal town of Malindi. Mackenzie’s prediction for the end of the world however came with a caveat for the followers of his self-proclaimed church which was started in 2003: he ordered his followers to kill themselves so they will be the first to go to heaven.
Autopsies on the bodies are underway and of the nine already concluded, the cause of death in most is starvation, while there are also some who died of asphyxiation. While the death toll currently stands at 101 including eight people who were alive but died later, the number is expected to rise further.
This is not the first time MacKenzie has been arrested. On several occasions, he has been arrested and detained on child neglect and radicalization although most charges have been dropped or not pursued.
In the meanwhile, as investigations began on the 101 bodies found in the Shakahola Forest Massacre, televangelist Ezekiel Odero, a follower of MacKenzie who had been detained was released on bond. He is being investigated for a long list of charges including murder, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalization, genocide, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud, money laundering, and being an accessory to crimes.
