Court Grants Extended Detention Following Tragic Losses

A Kenyan court has authorised police to detain a pastor for an additional five days as they investigate his involvement in the deaths of over 100 congregants, many of whom are believed to have succumbed to starvation. This decision comes as authorities delve deeper into potential terror-related charges linked to the alarming case.

Last month, law enforcement rescued 15 severely malnourished parishioners from the extensive 800-acre property of Paul Mackenzie in Kilifi County. Tragically, four of these individuals died shortly after being hospitalised. Survivors reported that Mackenzie had urged them to fast until death in anticipation of meeting Jesus before the world’s end.

Investigators discovered over 100 bodies and numerous mass graves on Mackenzie’s secluded property. While autopsies are still in progress, preliminary findings indicate that some victims died from starvation, strangulation, or suffocation.

Mackenzie, who was arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of cult-related activities, had previously been released by a lower court. However, he was rearrested and presented to a higher court as police investigations revealed signs of radicalisation. The court is now reviewing an application for an extended 90-day detention.

This is not Mackenzie’s first brush with the law; he was arrested twice earlier — in 2019 and in March of this year — in connection with child deaths. He was released on bond both times, and those cases remain ongoing.

In response to this crisis, Kenyan President William Ruto has established a committee of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The committee’s mandate includes identifying other individuals and organisations that may share responsibility and providing recommendations for future actions.

Concerns regarding Mackenzie’s activities date back to 2017, when the Kenya Film and Classification Board raised alarms about his televised content, which was deemed potentially radicalising. The board’s previous chairperson, Ezekiel Mutua, confirmed that the content was subsequently removed from the air, and law enforcement was alerted.

In a related case, another pastor, Ezekiel Odero, was arrested last week regarding deaths at his coastal megachurch. A court has indicated that Odero could be released on bail if he posts a bond of 3 million Kenyan shillings (approximately $22,000) or cash bail of 1.5 million shillings ($11,000). His lawyers acknowledged that 15 individuals died at his church, but they asserted that these deaths were reported to police as mandated.

Investigations into Odero’s connections to Mackenzie are ongoing, particularly since he purchased a television channel from Mackenzie in 2019. Recently, Kenya’s national communications authority suspended Odero’s TV channel for broadcasting inappropriate content related to exorcisms during hours designated for adult programming.