Two pastors in Kenya detained after the death of more than 100 followers

First modification: 05/03/2023 – 04:19

Two pastors from the Kenyan coast have appeared in court over the deaths of more than 100 of their faithful, many of whom are believed to have died after fasting to death to “meet Jesus”.

The Kenyan authorities affirm that the deceased were members of the International Church of the Good News, led by Paul Mackenzie, 50, who preached that the end of time would be on April 15, for which he ordered his followers to fast. until death to be the first to go to heaven.

So far the deceased are around 109, of which 101, mostly children, were found in mass graves and another eight were found still alive but died after arriving at the hospital. According to the Ministry of the Interior, there are more than 400 missing people in the area.

“A woman refused first aid and clamped her mouth shut, refusing to eat and wanted to continue her fast until death,” said Hussein Khalid, a member of the NGO Haki Africa.

Pastor Paul Mackenzie was arrested last week and later released by a Malindi City Court but was re-arrested and brought before the Shanzu City High Court.

The pastor will remain in prison until Friday when another request to hold him for another 30 days will be reviewed while investigations into terrorism progress. After several weeks on the run, his wife, Rhoda Maweu, was detained Monday night at a hideout in the coastal town of Mtwapa.

Ezekiel Odero, another pastor whose church is in the same county as Mackenzie’s, was also detained while investigations continue. Supporters of both pastors demonstrated outside the courthouse praying for their release.

Elisha Komora, defense lawyer for Pastor Mackenzie, said police took him to his church premises in the Furunzi area of ​​Malindi city to search the premises by court order, he told Reuters.

The local was attacked with stones by several residents of the area enraged by the death of their neighbors. They then destroyed the front of the wall protecting the church and police responded with tear gas, according to Komora.

Mackenzie, the pastor targeted by the authorities

Mackenzie was a taxi driver who in 2003 founded the International Church of Good News, a congregation that has been targeted by authorities for years for controversial religious practices.

Pastor Mackenzie faced justice in 2017 for a series of crimes including child neglect and radicalization, but was acquitted of some charges and others dropped without explanation. Earlier this year he was involved in a scandal for asking children not to attend school arguing that education was not recognized in the Bible.

William Ruto, the President of Kenya, has vowed to take strong action against these extremist religious movements. “What we saw in (…) Sakhola is typical of terrorists,” Ruto said.

“Terrorists use religion to further their heinous acts. People like Mackenzie use religion to do the exact same thing,” she added.

Pastor Mackenzie’s church has about 3,000 members throughout Kenya. “The mission of this ministry is to holistically nurture the faithful in all areas of Christian spirituality as we prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ through teaching and evangelism,” the church website says.

Human rights groups had been denouncing the church’s dangerous appeals to its followers for months, until police decided to investigate and discovered the mass graves on the 300-hectare ranch owned by Mackenzie.

Police continue to search the property and have rescued 48 people. They also arrested 24 people linked to the religious leader, according to the Regional Commissioner for the Coast, Rhoda Onyancha.

With AP and Reuters