Controversial Preacher Paul Mackenzie, Co-Accused Face Murder Charges

Doomsday preacher John Mackenzie, his wife and 29 other co-accused are in Mombasa High Court ahead of a judgement in a mass murder case.

They are charged with 191 counts of murder, involving mostly children. The judgement will be delivered today, Monday, by Lady Justice Diana Kavedza.

Prosecutors say Mackenzie ordered parents to starve their children to death in Shakahola forest so they could “meet Jesus”.

All defendants have pleaded not guilty saying that no one was forced into that system.

This was after more than 400 bodies were found in the forest. One father told the BBC he lost all six of his children but has only been able to bury one.

Mackenzie’s former head of security, Enos Amanya Ngala, was initially accused but then entered a plea deal and became a witness for the prosecution.

The cultists are also facing of other cases, including terrorism, radicalisation and denying children the right to education.

His cult is alleged to have forced children to starve to death to “meet Jesus”. His doctrine forbid not only education, but also modern medicine was considered “evil”.

In 2023, Senior Resident Magistrate Olga Onalo found Mackenzie guilty of conducting exhibitions of films to the public through Times Television without the approval of the Kenya Film Classification Board.

He was charged with operating a filming studio and producing films without a valid filming licence from the Kenya Classification Board, contrary to Section 4 of the Films and Stage Play Act, Cap. 222 of the laws of Kenya.

Onalo further found him guilty of being in possession of and distributing films that have not been classified, contrary to Section 12 of the Films and Stage Plays Act, Cap. 222.

Makenzie committed both offenses jointly with others not before court on January 11, 2019 and April 12, 2019, at Good News International Church in Malindi Township, Malindi Sub-County, within Kilifi County.

In her ruling, Onalo stated that the prosecution, through Senior Prosecution Counsel Joseph Mwangi and Prosecution Counsel Kennedy Kirui proved the case against Mackenzie beyond any reasonable doubt.

The court ruled that the accused failed to dislodge himself from the evidence of the four prosecution witnesses and exhibits, including videos of Mackenzie’s radical preaching.

The court ruled that Mackenzie admitted that Times Television belonged to his church, Good News International, where detectives recovered DVD films containing sermons on end-time items in his office.

However, the trial magistrate acquitted him of the offence of inciting children against attending school and further using the films to incite Christians against Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims based on their religion.

The court also ordered that a pre-sentence report be filed by the Probation and Aftercare Services to capture the sentiments of the complainant, which is the prosecution.

But how will the final sentencing pun out today? The jury is out.