The much-awaited verdict in the murder trial following the Shakahola doomsday cult massacre are finally in. They confirm the grave risk posed by religious extremists to their unsuspecting followers.
On Monday, the High Court in Mombasa found cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his 30 co-accused guilty of the murders of 190 children and one adult. They jointly enforced fasting, resulting in deaths in Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County.
Though they played different roles, the judge said their actions were part of the same criminal enterprise. They will be sentenced on November 6. Mackenzie still faces separate ongoing trials for terrorism, manslaughter and child abuse.
Members of the cult were ordered to starve their children to death so they could “meet Jesus”. They described education as “evil” and healthcare as “against the doctrine”.
Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache highlighted the grim mechanisms of the Good News International Church. Whenever starvation failed to kill the children, they were violently beaten or strangled.
Regulation of religious organisations
The convictions have brought some relief to grieving families and intensified calls for stricter regulation of religious organisations to prevent deadly extremism.
There are vital lessons from these horrible actions in God’s name by these evil people. While the freedom of worship is a constitutional right, there is a need for greater surveillance by security agencies to ensure that this is not manipulated and abused.
That the killings went on for so long is an indictment of the police and other security agencies mandated to protect the people’s lives.
The National Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, which are well-funded by taxpayers, slept on the job, allowing these dastardly crimes to be committed.
This is a wake-up call to security agencies to use the resources at their disposal to enhance safety and avert such deadly crimes.