pastor career Paul Mackenziewho managed to convince at least 200 people will starve themselves to deathTo “meet Jesus”starts in 2002. The then-taxi driver was invited by a woman who met him at a Baptist church to preach in her backyard. His talent immediately became apparent and they decided to offer something to the world. So they founded the new Good News International Baptist Church.

However, after some time, their paths diverged sharply. She accused him of stealing money left by believers, and Mackenzie claimed that his former partner was a witch. Mackenzie left the city and moved to a deserted place in the south of the country, in parallel opening his own television channel. With the help of the Internet and his new channel, his voice became heard throughout the country, even in some neighboring countries, and he gained a fanatical following.

“Children must die first,” Mackenzie said, “they must fast in the sun.”

Obsessed with the impending doom of the world, Mackenzie preached and gathered them in a vast area that he considered his own, in the forest of Sakahol. It just flared up in Kenya In the spring of 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Mackenzie saw his prophecies come true. Many people who had previously been distrustful left their homes and went to live in his community, often with their children.

There he preached that the only way for believers to save their souls was fast to death or even be crucified. In the next two years, Mackenzie went so far as to forbid the people who came to live with him to use drugs or send their children to school. He claimed that he himself received medical and educational skills through revelation, which he offered for free. Authorities have now found at least 200 bodies, many in mass graves, and hundreds of people are missing.

“Children must die first,” Mackenzie said. “They must fast in the sun.” Then it was the turn of the women and finally all the men. He himself will wait to guide even the last person who wants to meet Christ. Then he will kill himself in the same way.

The reaction of the authorities is characterized as too slow for a country that bears the title of one of the most developed in Central Africa. Many relatives of believers have been condemning the methods used in Sakahol for months, and now they are demanding justice. The government has now also taken a stand, and there has been a great deal of dialogue in the country about the limits of religious freedom, as visits by para-religious leaders and influential televangelists become frequent.