A Kenyan pastor wrote notes from inside his prison cell, prosecutors say, using them to lure more victims to their deaths even while already behind bars. That detail alone tells you everything about the scale of what Paul Mackenzie is accused of doing.
Mackenzie leads the Good News International Church in Malindi, and he is facing charges connected to the deaths of followers who starved themselves, reportedly on his instruction. Prosecutors allege he told parents to deny food to their children as part of a path to meeting Jesus. The case has shaken Kenya and drawn attention across the continent to the dangers of extreme religious manipulation.
The pastor has been in custody while investigations continued, but authorities say his reach did not stop at the prison door. The alleged notes written from his cell point to a man prosecutors describe as still actively directing harm against the very community that trusted him.
Judgment day is here for Mackenzie, and Kenya is watching closely. The outcome of this case could shape how the country handles the legal boundaries of religious leadership for years to come.
Originally published by BBC Africa.