Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Kenya doomsday cult leader found guilty of illegal filming, but yet to be charged over mass deaths

The Kenyan preacher of a doomsday cult who was arrested after more than 400 bodies were found in mass graves on his property has been convicted of operating a studio and distributing films without a license

Emmanuel Igunza
Friday 10 November 2023 17:40 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Paul Mackenzie, the Kenyan preacher at the center of a doomsday cult in the country that led to the deaths of more than 400 people, was on Friday found guilty of operating a studio and distributing films without a license.

The senior resident magistrate in the town of Malindi, Olga Onalo, found Mackenzie guilty of exhibition of films through his Times Television without approval of the Kenya Film Classification Board.

The preacher has been in police custody for more than six months now since he was arrested in April, following the discovery of hundreds of bodies in mass graves in a forested area across his 800-acre property in the coastal county of Kilifi.

Prosecutors say Mackenzie ordered his congregants to starve to death in order to meet Jesus.

However, he has not been formally charged over the deaths, despite being arraigned in court on numerous occasions since his arrest.

On Friday he was acquitted of additional charges of influencing children to not attend school and using radical preaching to incite Christians against Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims.

He will be sentenced for the film-related offenses on Dec. 1 and could face up to five years in prison.

On Thursday, prosecutors applied to have Mackenzie held in custody for six more months to allow police to complete their investigations which include the search for dozens of people still missing.

Since his arrest, there have been growing calls for the government to regulate churches in Kenya.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in