“Starve and you will meet Jesus.” That is the chilling message Kenyan Pastor Paul Mackenzie allegedly gave to his followers, many of whom later died in what authorities are calling one of the country’s worst cult-related tragedies. Mackenzie, the founder of the Good News International Church, claims he was called by God to establish the movement. However, investigators say he manipulated his followers in southeastern Kenya into starving themselves and their children to death, convincing them that this was the path to salvation ahead of the world’s end.
This week, authorities uncovered five additional bodies buried in shallow graves near the coastal town of Kilifi, bringing the death toll to 24 in just five days of search efforts. The discovery has prompted a large-scale investigation involving homicide detectives, forensic experts, and government pathologists, who are now working to exhume 27 suspected mass graves in the area. Officials believe these findings may be linked to Mackenzie’s apocalyptic cult, which has already been connected to a mass death event in Kenya.
Kenyan police have arrested 11 individuals in connection with the Kilifi murders, all of whom are reportedly former members of Mackenzie’s commune located in the Shakahola forest. This is the same site where, two years ago, the remains of 400 cult members were discovered in a case that horrified the nation and drew international attention. Court documents confirm that the latest suspects lived in the commune and continued to follow Mackenzie’s teachings.
Paul Mackenzie has been in custody since his arrest and now faces charges of murder and terrorism. As the investigation unfolds, the country continues to grapple with the scale of the tragedy and the disturbing influence of a man who turned faith into fatal fanaticism.