- A court in Kenya gave police a five-day extension to hold Pastor Paul Mackenzie, who faces possible terrorism charges over the deaths of at least 110 of his parishioners, without bail.
- Mackenzie reportedly started a cult in which he convinced followers living on a 2,000-acre coastal property to starve themselves to “meet Jesus.”
- A second pastor with ties to Mackenzie, Ezekiel Odero, who also killed scores of parishioners in an unrelated incident, was released on bail of 3 million shillings ($22,000).
A court in Kenya on Friday gave police an additional five days to detain a pastor charged with possible terrorism charges over the deaths of more than 100 of his parishioners, many of whom are believed to have starved to death.
Police last month rescued 15 emaciated parishioners from Paul Mackenzie’s 2,000-acre Kilifi County property. Four of them died after the group was taken to a hospital, and survivors told investigators the pastor instructed them to fast to death before the end of the world so they could meet Jesus.
A search of Mackenzie’s property in a remote wooded area found more than 100 bodies and dozens of excavated mass graves, authorities said. Autopsies on the bodies were ongoing, but completed ones showed some of those buried had died of starvation, strangulation, or asphyxiation.
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Mackenzie was arrested two weeks ago for alleged links to the cult. A lower court released him this week, but he was arrested again and brought before a higher court. Police said their inquiries had pointed to signs of radicalisation.
The court, which jailed Mackenzie for five more days, is considering a request for an additional 90 days’ jail.
The pastor has already been arrested twice – in 2019 and in March this year – in connection with the deaths of children. He was released on bail both times, and those cases are still being tried in court.
Kenyan pastor Paul Mackenzie is being held without bond for at least five more days. Mackenzie is suspected of leading a cult and convincing at least 110 of its followers to starve themselves to “meet Jesus”. (AP photo)
Kenyan President William Ruto set up a committee of inquiry into the deaths on Friday.
Ruto tasked the committee with determining the circumstances in which people died, identifying other individuals and organizations who may be responsible, and making recommendations.
The country’s broadcasting regulator, the Kenya Film and Classification Board, sounded the alarm in 2017 over content broadcast by Mackenzie on TV that could encourage radicalization. The panel’s former chair, Ezekiel Mutua, told local media that the contents were taken off the air and law enforcement notified.
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Another pastor in the same district, Ezekiel Odero, was arrested last week in connection with the deaths of parishioners at his coastal megachurch. On Thursday, a court said Odero could be released from jail if he posted bail of 3 million Kenyan shillings (about $100,000).
After his arrest, Odero’s lawyers acknowledged that 15 people died at his church but said the deaths were reported to a police station as required by law. According to the police, there was no evidence of a crime at the time.
The pastor remains under investigation for his ties to Mackenzie, from whom he bought a TV station in 2019.
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Kenya’s national communications authority last week blocked the Odero TV channel for broadcasting inappropriate content about exorcism during hours when adult programs are not allowed.