Judge Faces New Charges Over Cult‑Related Mass Deaths

A Kenyan court on Wednesday added fresh accusations against Paul Mackenzie, a former cult leader, and seven associates. The new charges involve the deaths of 52 people whose shallow graves were uncovered in southeast Kenya in 2025. Mackenzie had already been charged with murder and terrorism for earlier killings linked to the Shakahola forest, one of the world’s largest cult tragedies. Prosecutors claim he ran a group that forced members to starve themselves and their children, believing it would send them to heaven before the end of the world. Mackenzie denies these claims. Investigations that began two years ago recovered more than 400 bodies from Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County. The search expanded to other suspected sites, and by August 2025 authorities had found 52 bodies near Kwa Binzaro, about 30 km from Shakahola.The defendants appeared before a magistrate in Mombasa for a joint plea session. Prosecutors argue that Mackenzie directed the killings at Kwa Binzaro even after his 2023 arrest, using radical teachings to lure victims to the remote location. In late January, Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions posted on X that investigators had found handwritten notes in Mackenzie’s prison cells. The notes allegedly recorded financial transactions conducted via mobile phones. The new charge sheet lists counts of murder, participation in organized crime under Kenya’s anti‑crime law, and offenses related to radicalization and facilitating terrorist acts. All defendants pleaded not guilty. The case highlights the continuing legal scrutiny of cult activities and their devastating impact on communities in Kenya.