Kenya’s starvation cult continues to haunt families even as the courts deliver a historic verdict. Dan Mackenzie, the 27‑year‑old eldest son of Paul Mackenzie, told BBC’s Newsday that his younger siblings were still being forced to fast as recently as two weeks ago, weeks before the trial that convicted their father of murdering 191 people.
Family testimony shines a light on ongoing abuse
Dan Mackenzie recounted that he reported the situation to police, prompting officers to rescue eight children – including his five younger siblings – from his grandmother’s house and place them in a rescue centre. He described the children’s condition: “They were basically forcibly fasted because they were denying food to them for almost three days.”
His own experience mirrors the broader pattern of coercion. At age 12, Dan said he was forced to fast for almost a week, and he recalled being beaten for hours to force attendance at a church service. These personal accounts reinforce the court’s findings that Mackenzie’s doctrine demanded extreme self‑starvation and the starvation of children to “meet Jesus.”
Legal outcomes and broader charges
On Monday, Justice Diana Mochache delivered an eight‑hour judgment in Mombasa, finding Paul Mackenzie guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult who died of starvation in the Shakahola forest near Kenya’s coast. The verdict marks the first ruling on the most serious charges against the pastor, who was arrested in 2023 after more than 400 bodies were uncovered in shallow graves in the same forest.
During the trial, a co‑accused testified that Mackenzie had instructed followers that anyone who resisted fasting should be forced “to go to heaven through kicks and blows.” The judge noted that burials in the forest were described as “weddings,” with the dead celebrated as having “wedded with Jesus.” In addition to the murder convictions, Mackenzie and other cult leaders face separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation, and the denial of children’s education.
Community reactions and the road ahead
Dan now lives in the coastal town of Malindi, earning a living as a motorcycle‑taxi driver while supporting himself and his younger siblings. He said some locals have been angry with him because of his father’s crimes, but others have accepted him because he has distanced himself from the cult’s practices.
Outside the courtroom, Stephen Mwiti, a man who lost all six of his children to the cult, welcomed the verdict, saying, “I’m a happy man, that all persons have been convicted.” The community’s mixed emotions underscore the lingering trauma inflicted by the cult’s doctrine, which also forbade education and labeled modern medicine as “evil.”
What the rescue means for the children
- Immediate safety: The eight children rescued are now under the protection of a rescue centre, removing them from the environment that enabled forced fasting.
- Psychological support: Survivors will require counselling to address the trauma of starvation, physical abuse, and the loss of family members.
- Legal protection: Ongoing investigations into other cult members aim to prevent further abuse and hold perpetrators accountable.
While the conviction of Paul Mackenzie represents a crucial step toward justice, Dan’s allegations highlight that the cult’s legacy of coercion persists. Ongoing monitoring, support for the rescued children, and continued legal action against remaining cult participants will be essential to ensure that the tragedy does not repeat itself.