In one of the deadliest cult-related massacres ever, the remains of more than 430 victims have been recovered since police raided Good News International Church in a forest some 70 kilometers (40 miles) inland from the Kenyan coastal town of Malindi.
Seventeen months later, many in the area are still shaken by what happened despite repeated warnings about the church’s leader.
Autopsies on more than 100 bodies showed deaths from starvation, strangulation, suffocation, and injuries sustained from blunt objects. A gravedigger, Shukran Karisa Mangi, said he believed more mass graves were yet to be discovered. At least 600 people are reported missing, according to the Kenya Red Cross.
Here are some details about the case.
The evangelical leader of Good News, Paul Mackenzie, is accused of instructing his followers to starve to death for the opportunity to meet Jesus. Mackenzie pleaded not guilty to charges in the murders of 191 children, multiple counts of manslaughter and other crimes. If convicted, he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
Some in Malindi who spoke to The Associated Press said Mackenzie’s confidence while in custody showed the wide-ranging power some evangelists project even as their teachings undermine government authority, break the law, or harm followers desperate for healing and other miracles.
It’s not only Mackenzie, said Thomas Kakala, a self-described bishop with the Malindi-based Jesus Cares Ministry International, referring to questionable pastors he knew in the capital Nairobi. “You look at them. If you are sober and you want to hear the word of God, you wouldn’t go to their church. But the place is packed.”
A man like Mackenzie, who refused to join the fellowship of pastors in Malindi and rarely quoted Scripture, could thrive in a country like Kenya, said Kakala. Six detectives have been suspended for ignoring multiple warnings about Mackenzie’s illegal activities.
Kakala said he felt discouraged in his attempts to discredit Mackenzie years ago. The evangelist had played a tape of Kakala on his TV station and declared him an enemy. Kakala felt threatened.
Mackenzie, a former street vendor and cab driver with a high-school education, apprenticed with a Malindi preacher in the late 1990s. There, in the laid-back tourist town, he opened his own church in 2003.
A charismatic preacher, he was said to perform miracles and exorcisms, and could be generous with his money. His followers included teachers and police officers. They came to Malindi from across Kenya, giving Mackenzie national prominence that spread the pain of the deaths across the country.
The first complaints against Mackenzie concerned his opposition to formal schooling and vaccination. He was briefly detained in 2019 for opposing the government’s efforts to assign national identification numbers to Kenyans, saying the numbers were satanic.
He closed his Malindi church premises later that year and urged his congregation to follow him to Shakahola, where he leased 800 acres of forest inhabited by elephants and big cats.
Church members paid small sums to own plots in Shakahola. They were required to build houses and live in villages with biblical names like Nazareth, according to survivors. They said Mackenzie grew more demanding, with people from different villages forbidden from communicating or gathering.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, which witnesses said strengthened Mackenzie’s vision of the end times, the leader ordered more rigorous fasting that became even more stringent by the end of 2022. Parents were forbidden from feeding their children, witnesses said.
Like much of East Africa, Kenya is dominated by Christians. While many are Anglican or Catholic, evangelical Christianity has been spreading widely since the 1980s. Many pastors style their ministries in the manner of successful U.S. televangelists, investing in broadcasting and advertising.
Many of Africa’s evangelical churches are run like sole proprietorships, without the guidance of trustee boards or laity. Pastors are often unaccountable, deriving authority from their perceived ability to perform miracles or make prophecies. Some, like Mackenzie, can seem all-powerful.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A piece of clothing lies in the bush near the forest where dozens of bodies were found in shallow graves in the village of Shakahola, near the coastal city of Malindi, in southern Kenya, on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag savored the “perfect night” after routing third-division Barnsley 7-0 in the English League Cup on Tuesday.
It was United's biggest margin of victory under the Dutchman, who has been in charge for more than two years.
Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored two goals each in the third round match at Old Trafford, with Antony also on target.
“Not for me, but for the team, this is the perfect night. I think we could do everything that we planned to do. We won, (we are in) next round, scored some great goals, entertained the fans and we worked on our game model, so we are happy,” Ten Hag said.
The size of the victory surpassed United's previous best under Ten Hag: 4-1 wins against Real Betis and Chelsea in his first season at the club. It was the biggest since a 9-0 win over Southampton under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021.
Encouragingly for Ten Hag, Rashford's scoring touch appears to have returned after a troubled season last year when he managed just nine goals.
Rashford's double came after he ended a 12-game barren run with a goal against Southampton over the weekend.
“Football is football. Sometimes you have ups and sometimes downs, but we have to use these games to get momentum and consistency," Rashford said.
Garnacho also scored in that 3-0 win in the Premier League and emulated Rashford by making it three goals in his last two games.
Eriksen struck twice late on.
Rashford blasted United in front after cutting inside Marc Roberts in the 16th minute. Antony doubled the lead when winning and then converting a penalty in the 35th.
Garnacho poked home from close range in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
United overpowered Barnsley after the break with Garnacho scoring his second when racing through on goal in the 49th. Rashford scored again in the 58th.
It was the first time Rashford has scored more than one goal in a game since February 2023.
Eriksen's double came in the 81st and 85th.
Bottom of the Premier League and without a point, Everton’s troubled campaign went from bad to worse after it was eliminated by second-to-last Southampton — losing 6-5 on penalties.
The Merseyside team had taken the lead through Abdoulaye Doucoure in the 20th at Goodison Park, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis evened the game in the 32nd.
Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved Ashley Young's penalty in sudden death to seal Everton's fate.
Eberechi Eze struck the winner as Crystal Palace beat second-division Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and Brentford survived an early scare against third-tier Leyton Orient to win 3-1.
Brandon Cooper fired Orient ahead in the 11th, but Fabio Carvalho, Mikkel Damsgaard and Christian Norgaard eased Brentford to victory.
Second-division Preston secured the biggest shock of the night by beating Fulham 16-15 in an epic penalty shootout.
The game ended 1-1 at full time with Ryan Ledson putting Preston ahead in the 35th and Reiss Nelson equalizing for Fulham in the 61st.
What followed was the longest shootout in League Cup history with Preston eventually triumphing after 34 spot kicks.
After 32 penalties were successfully converted, Fulham's Timothy Castagne missed the target and Ledson made no mistake to fire Preston into the fourth round.
It was a different story as Stoke overcame Fleetwood 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Sheffield Wednesday beat Blackpool 1-0.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Crystal Palace's Eddie Nketiah, center, celebrates scoring during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Queens Park Rangers QPR and Crystal Palace at the Loftus Road Stadium, London, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Queens Park Rangers' Karamoko Dembele, left, and Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell in action during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Queens Park Rangers QPR and Crystal Palace at the Loftus Road Stadium, London, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Leyton Orient's Sonny Perkins, left, and Brentford's Christian Norgaard battle for the ball during the English League Cup third round soccer match at the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Preston North End's Ryan Ledson, center, celebrates scoring during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Preston and Fulham at Deepdale, Preston, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)
Everton's Michael Keane, left, and Southampton's Adam Armstrong battle for the ball during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho is celebrated by Manchester United's Casemiro after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Christian Eriksen celebrates after scoring the 6th goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford after scoring the fifth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, top, is tackled by Barnsley's Barry Cotter during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag claps hands prior to the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford scores the opening goal against Barnsley's goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Antony, right, reacts to Manchester United's goalkeeper Altay Bayindir at halftime during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Antony, left, celebrates scoring with Alejandro Garnacho during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho, left, after scoring the fifth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
