Self-proclaimed pastor's lethal faith: Trial looms for Paul Mackenzie over mass starvation deaths in Kenya

Interest in the International Church of the Good News, helmed by Pastor Paul Mackenzie, intensified after the rescue of 15 starved followers by the police in southeastern Kenya. Four individuals succumbed in hospital following the rescue. Survivors testified that the pastor had instructed them to fast indefinitely until the world's end, to meet Jesus.

In a shocking revelation last April, the remains of 429 individuals, including children, were discovered in a forest in Shakahola. Post-mortem examinations revealed that death was mainly due to starvation, but there were also marks of violence on the bodies of the children.

Kenyan prosecutors argue that Mackenzie manipulated his church members into fasting in preparation for the world’s demise. A witness informed the BBC that Mackenzie had urged his followers to start stringently fasting from January last year, promising it would be their gateway to heaven.

The self-styled pastor, along with 94 others (including 64 people initially presumed to be victims found in Shakahola), is charged with murder, terrorism, and child abuse. Mackenzie, who has been arrested since last November, denies all charges. He defends himself by stating that he could not have been responsible for hundreds of deaths since he closed down his church in 2019.

Sources: BBC, Daily Mail