[China Anti-Cult Network, September 30, 2024, correspondent: Sun Yu] The Associated Press reported on September 14 that the massacre caused by the cult "Good News International Church" in Kenya left indelible wounds on the victims and their relatives and friends.
Sukorang· Kelisa· Manji often get drunk during working hours. He was responsible for exhuming the bodies of the doomsday cultists who had been hastily buried, but when his friend's body was found, alcohol could not soften the huge blow he suffered. His friend had his neck twisted off before he died, with his head and torso facing in opposite directions. This violent manner of death disturbed Manji, who also exhumed the bodies of many children. In this small town near Kenya's coastline, the number of bodies found continues to rise. Here, extremist evangelical leader Paul · Mackenzie is accused of instigating his followers to die on hunger strike in the hope of seeing God.
Dozens of bodies were found in mass graves in the village of Shakahola, near the southern port city of Malindi, Kenya. A piece of clothing was abandoned in a small jungle near a mass grave. The original article is illustrated
Manji's job is to dig graves. At the beginning of the year, when bodies were found in piles, he and several other gravediggers suspended their work. Manji said that whenever he tried to fall asleep, the victim's body would appear in front of his eyes, and the tragic image of his friend's body would replay in his mind over and over again. He said: "My friend was brutally injured to death. A lot of the time, I still wonder how he died. ”
When police raided the forest, about 70 kilometers from Malindi, to search the nearby Good News International Church, they found at least 436 bodies in the worst cult massacre in history. Many people were shocked by things. Mr. Mackenzie pleaded not guilty to charges of murder of 191 children, several counts of manslaughter and other charges. Once convicted, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Salama · Martha, a former ultra-evangelical believer, stands in front of a makeshift house. The original article is illustrated
Thomas · Kakara is a self-proclaimed missionary for Malindi's Jesus Cares Ministry International. He said Mr. Mackenji was not alone, and he knew another controversial pastor operating in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. He said, "Look at them." If you are level-headed and want to hear God's voice, you will not go to them. But they were overcrowded. ”
Kakara said that people like Mackenzie, who refuse to be ordinary pastors in Malindi and rarely quote the Bible, can thrive in a country like Kenya. Six police officers were suspended for ignoring several warnings about Makenzie's illegal activities. Kakara said that years ago he tried to pull Mr. Mackenki off the altar, but failed. Mackenji showed a video of Kakara on his television station, calling Kakara an enemy. This made Kakara feel threatened. "Those are part of his power," he said. He took advantage of that power. ”
Since the 80s, evangelical Christianity has taken Kenya by storm. Many pastors emulate successful televised evangelists in the United States, investing in radio stations and commercials.
On April 24, 2023, dozens of bodies were hastily buried in a mass grave in the village of Shakahora, with body bags spread on the ground. The original article is illustrated
Many evangelical churches in Africa are dominated by a single leader and lack oversight. Pastors are usually not held accountable, and their authority derives from their ability to perform miracles or prophesy the future. Some priests, such as Mackenzi, seem to be all-powerful. Previously, Mackenzie was just a street vendor and taxi driver, with only a high school education. In the mid-90s, he became a pastor in Malindi. In 2003, in that laid-back tourist destination, he opened his own church. As a priest, he was said to perform miracles and exorcise demons, and was also generous with money. His followers included teachers and policemen. They came to Malindi from all over Kenya, giving Mackenji a nationwide influence and bringing the pain of death to the whole of Kenya.
Famaou· Muhammad was one of the first to warn the extremist evangelical leaders Paul · Mackenki. He speaks at a rally in Malindi, a port city in southern Kenya, on September 7, 2024. The original article is illustrated
Sheikh Famau Mohamed, the ·chief of Malindi, said: "I think Mackenzie is a very mysterious person because I don't understand how he can kill so many people at once. Until now, there is still a puzzling thing, that is, he still dares to speak out...... He felt like he had done nothing wrong. ”
The first accusation against Mackenzie came from his opposition to formal schooling and vaccination. In 2019, he was briefly detained for opposing the government's introduction of identity numbers, which he said came from the devil. In late 2019, he closed Malindi's church and led his congregation to Shaka Hora, where he leased 800 acres of forest. It is home to elephants and big cats.
Children play outside their classrooms at Shaka Hola Comprehensive School on September 5, 2024. The school is close to the mass grave in the village of Shaka Hora. The original article is illustrated
Survivors revealed that members of the Shaka Hora church paid a small amount of money to get a small piece of land. They were asked to build their own houses and name them after biblical names, such as "Nazareth" (an ancient city in northern Palestine that is said to be the homeland of Jesus). Fundamentalist Salama · Martha said that Mackenzie had become more authoritarian, and that there was no communication or gathering in different villages. "When he said that children should die on hunger strike, I realized that Mackenzie was not a good person," Martha said. That's when I realized it wasn't what I was supposed to do. "Martha fled the church after seeing two children starve to death.
Mackenji lives in thatched huts with solar panels, known as "ikulu" or "kokufu". The police found milk and bread in Mackenzie's refrigerator, while the congregants around him were dying of starvation. He had guards, and he also had messengers. What is evident is that he called himself "Prophetic Father" in his own kingdom, and thousands of followers obeyed him.
On April 17, 2023, the leader of the ultra-evangelical sect, Paul · Mackenzi, accompanied by some congregants, appeared in a courtroom in Malindi, Kenya, where he was arrested on suspicion of instigating his followers to die on hunger strike. The original article is illustrated
Robert Mbatha Mackenzie· Robert · Mbatha Mackenzie, of his brother Paul's · Mackenzie's authority in Shaka Hora: "He was like a chieftain because they owned a village and my brother was the village elder. He went there, and in just two years, he built a big village. Many followed him there. Mbasha · Mackenki, a stonemason, lives with his family in Malindi's simple tin house. He mentioned that Mackenzie was generous to his followers, but not to his family. "My brother is like a politician and is very good at sweet talk," he said. When he talks to people, people believe in him. ”
A former member who fled Shaka Hola revealed that she stopped believing in Mackenzie when she saw his men dealing with those who were struggling to starve to death. She said that Mackenzie's bodyguards would leave with people who were going to starve to death, and then those people would disappear. She also noted that the rape of women in the village by bodyguards was "a daily practice". She herself was sexually assaulted by four men when she was pregnant with her fourth child. The Associated Press said they could not identify victims of sexual assault unless they chose to go public with their identities.
Priscilla · Lizzi holds a photo of her daughter, Lorien · Mensa, at Malindi's home on September 7, 2024. Lorien is a member of the cult "Good News International Church" and is now presumed dead. The original article is illustrated
On September 6, 2024, a former member of Good News International said she had fled the church after being sexually assaulted. The original article is illustrated
Former congregants said those who left the forest without Mackenzie's permission were beaten, and those who violated the ban on "dieting" were subjected to corporal punishment. Autopsies of more than 100 bodies showed that the deceased died of starvation, suffocation, strangulation and heavy blows. Manji, a gravedigger, said he thought there would be more such mass graves in Shaka Hora. According to the Kenya Red Cross Society, at least 600 people have been reported missing.
Priscilla · Lizzi left the church in Mackenzie in 2017, but she lost her daughter and three grandchildren at the church. Whenever she recalls that Mackenzie "started well" and gradually became arrogant, she would have an emotional breakdown. Lizzi said her daughter, Lolane, could only take the children home with Mackenzie's permission. One of Lezzi's grandsons was identified through DNA testing and was given a burial. Lorien and two other children were deemed dead.
Eyewitnesses say the outbreak of the new crown epidemic has strengthened Mackenzie's prediction of the end times. As a result, Mackenzie ordered stricter dieting measures, and even in late 2022, the dieting order became more stringent. Witnesses also revealed that parents were forbidden to serve food to their children.
Village elders Chagava · Manji · Ya'a said that some of the congregants who fled Shaka Hola spoke out about their suffering within the church. A brawl broke out when some people from outside the church rushed into the forest on motorbikes to carry out rescue. Yaa said two of the rescue team's motorcycles were burned in Shaka Hora, but the police could do nothing about it other than briefly detaining some of them.