Controversial Pastor Paul Mackenzie Found Guilty

The High Court ruled that there was sufficient evidence presented by the prosecution to convict the Shakahola cult leader.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Nov 10, 2023 - 12:10 Updated: Nov 10, 2023 - 12:32
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Controversial Pastor Paul Mackenzie Found Guilty
Good News International Church Pastor Paul Mackenzie in this picture taken on March 24, 2023. /NAIROBI NEWS

Controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie has been found guilty of being in possession of and distributing films without a licence.

In a statement released by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) on Friday, November 10, the High Court ruled that there was sufficient evidence presented by the prosecution to convict the Shakahola cult leader.

As a result, the court ordered a pre-sentence report to be filed in court which will set the stage for his sentencing.

Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge accompanied by some of his followers during a court appearance in Malindi on April 17, 2023. /AP

"One Paul Mckenzie has today been found guilty of being in possession and distributing films which have not been classified and operating a filming studio without a valid filming licence. Prosecution's Joseph Mwangi proved the case.

"The court also ordered that a pre-sentence report be filed by the Probation and Aftercare Services to capture the sentiments of the complainant, which is the Prosecution," stated the ODPP.

The case will be mentioned on December 1, 2023.

Mackenzie on Friday, June 30 appeared in a Malindi court for the mention of a case in which he is accused of violating laws relating to film classification. He was accused of possession and distribution of films to the public without a valid license from the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) in 2019.

The prosecution told the Malindi Law Courts, which was presided over by Magistrate Irene Tamara, that the films intended to incite children from attending school.

Mackenzie was charged in April 2019 but denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Ksh500,000 before another arrest in connection to the Shakahola massacre.

Meanwhile, the court on Thursday, November 9 adjourned the hearing of the case against the suspected cult leader after his lawyers sought more time before responding to an earlier application by the prosecution to have Mackenzie detained for 180 more days.

“The hearing in the Shakahola massacre case failed to proceed today after key suspect Paul Mackenzie and his 29 co-suspects applied for an adjournment,” stated DPP Renson Ingonga.

“Mackenzie's lawyer, Wycliffe Makasembo, asked for more time to fine-tune his response to the State's application to have his clients detained for 180 more days pending charges.”

The prosecution in October had applied to have the main suspect Mackenzie and his co-accused detained for 180 days to complete the analysis of the DNA tests.

"The continued detention of the suspects is necessitated by the fact that DNA analysis is incomplete and the process is lengthy considering the fact that the number of bodies to be analyzed against the number of DNA samples from relatives of the deceased," said Ingonga on October 18, 2023. 

The Senate committee on the proliferation of religious organizations thereafter recommended disciplinary action against 11 security officers on allegations of involvement in the Shakahola cult tragedy whose current death toll stands at 429.

The committee also recommended the investigations and deportation of two foreigners who reportedly indoctrinated Mackenzie.

The self-styled spiritual leader has been accused of manipulating his followers, leading them to their deaths in pursuit of salvation.

Side-by-side image of Pastor Paul Mackenzie and bodies retrieved from Shakahola forest in Kilifi County. /VIRALTEAKE

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