Mombasa: A religious promise of salvation became the centre of one of Kenya’s most disturbing criminal cases, after a court in Mombasa convicted self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie and several of his associates of murdering 191 people, all but one of them children.

The case centres on allegations that followers were forced to starve themselves, with children among those allegedly subjected to the practice in the belief that they would be able to ‘meet Jesus’.

Mackenzie and his co-accused had pleaded not guilty before Monday’s verdict, while also denying charges in separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and preventing children from receiving an education.

Mackenzie, who headed the apocalyptic religious group Good News International Ministries, built a following through sermons that blended end-of-the-world predictions with strict restrictions on everyday life.

His rise from a former taxi driver to a preacher with thousands of devotees has since drawn intense scrutiny.

Who is Paul Mackenzie?

Before establishing his religious organisation, Mackenzie worked as a taxi driver in Nairobi. In 2003, he and his wife founded Good News International Ministries in Malindi, a coastal city in southeastern Kenya.

The organisation subsequently attracted thousands of followers through its branches across the country.

Mackenzie’s influence extended beyond in-person gatherings, with his forceful sermons broadcast on the church’s television station, Times TV.

He reportedly persuaded devotees that he could communicate directly with God. Some followers reportedly sold their property and donated the proceeds to the church, deepening their financial and personal ties to the movement.

The beliefs that brought his church under scrutiny

Mackenzie’s preaching revolved around apocalyptic beliefs and strict interpretations of religious doctrine.

Among his most controversial teachings was the assertion that education was ‘evil’, a position that led to children being forbidden from attending school.

His followers were also prohibited from using medication on religious grounds. He reportedly encouraged them to burn birth certificates and digital identification documents, while his sermons frequently expressed hostility towards Western institutions.

The United States, the United Nations and even the Catholic Church were among the institutions he condemned.

These teachings eventually brought his activities to the attention of authorities, who began scrutinising his establishment in the late 2010s.

From Malindi to the Shakahola forest

In 2019, authorities forced Mackenzie’s church and television station to shut down. He subsequently moved to the Shakahola forest in Kilifi County, approximately 70 kilometres from Malindi.

Some of his devotees followed him into the forest, where they settled in mud houses spread across the vast wooded area.

It was in this setting that the allegations surrounding the starvation of followers, including children, became central to the case against him. Prosecutors accused Mackenzie and his associates of murder, alleging that followers had been driven towards starvation through the promise of religious salvation.

The court’s finding of guilt in the case involving 191 deaths marks a significant development in the legal proceedings against the preacher and his associates.

However, the murder case is not the only legal battle facing Mackenzie. He has also denied allegations in separate proceedings involving terrorism, radicalisation and the denial of education to children.

His case has placed the relationship between religious authority, vulnerable followers and state oversight under an intense spotlight, raising questions about how a preacher’s influence can grow even as his teachings attract official scrutiny.