Kenyan Cult Leader and 94 Others Charged with Terrorism-Related Crimes

Charges Linked to Deaths of 429 Cult Members Who Were Instructed to Starve Themselves and Their Children to Death

Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 94 others have been charged with terrorism-related crimes linked to the deaths of 429 individuals, members of Mackenzie’s Good News International Church.
The victims were reportedly instructed by Mackenzie to starve themselves and their children to death in the Shakahola forest as a path to heaven, believing the world was nearing its end.
Autopsies revealed that the majority of the victims died due to starvation, while others were found to have been strangled, beaten, or suffocated.
Mackenzie and his co-defendants denied the charges and are due back in court on February 8 for a bond hearing.
This case has prompted the Kenyan government to call for tighter control and scrutiny of fringe religious groups.