The eldest son of Paul Mackenzie, the Kenyan cult leader recently convicted of 191 murders, has revealed that his younger siblings were being subjected to forced fasting as recently as two weeks ago. Dan Mackenzie, 27, stated that he felt compelled to report his own grandmother to authorities after learning that his siblings were being deprived of food at her residence. Police intervened following his report, successfully rescuing eight children, including his five younger siblings, and placing them in a secure facility.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsday, Dan described the harrowing conditions his siblings faced, noting that they had been denied food for nearly three days. The incident occurred shortly before his father, Paul Mackenzie, was found guilty in a Mombasa court on Monday for the murder of 190 children and one adult. The victims died of starvation in the Shakahola forest, located near the Kenyan coast, after the leader instructed his followers to starve themselves and their offspring to "meet Jesus."
Dan Mackenzie, who initially defended his father, explained that he struggled to comprehend the gravity of the allegations against the cult leader early on. His perspective shifted as the court proceedings unveiled the scale of the tragedy. Reflecting on his own upbringing, Dan shared that he was forced to fast for nearly a week when he was 12 years old. He also recalled being subjected to hours of physical abuse by church members to ensure his attendance at religious services.
The doctrine preached by his father strictly prohibited education and labeled modern medicine as "evil." Dan, who says he left school at the age of seven, now lives in the coastal town of Malindi. He currently works as a motorcycle taxi driver to support himself and his rescued siblings. While he has faced hostility from some members of the local community due to his father's actions, he noted that others have accepted him because he has distanced himself from the cult's lifestyle.
Following an eight-hour judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Diana Mochache stated that Mackenzie’s followers regarded him as "Jesus's mouthpiece." Evidence presented in court indicated that those who resisted the forced fasting were subjected to violence, with one co-accused revealing that the leader ordered followers to send people to heaven "through kicks and blows." The court also heard that burials in the forest were referred to as "weddings," where those who perished were celebrated for having "wedded with Jesus."
The murder conviction marks the first ruling on the most serious charges against the pastor, who was initially arrested in 2023. This followed the discovery of more than 400 bodies buried in shallow graves within the Shakahola forest. Beyond the murder charges, Mackenzie and 28 other co-accused leaders face separate legal proceedings involving allegations of terrorism, radicalisation, and the denial of education to children.
The verdict has been met with relief by some of those affected. Stephen Mwiti, who reported losing all six of his children to the cult, expressed satisfaction that the leaders involved were held accountable. As the legal process continues, Paul Mackenzie is scheduled to be sentenced on 6 November. For Dan Mackenzie, the focus remains on the safety of his family and the hope that the court's decision will offer some measure of closure to the many families devastated by the cult's actions.
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