Kenya religious cult leader to face murder charges over Shakahola deaths (Al Jazeera)

Cult leader Paul Mackenzie, with dozens of associates, ordered his followers in southeast Kenya to starve themselves to death so they could go to heaven before the world ended.

• Mackenzie also forbade his followers from going to the hospital or sending their children to school; his followers said he deems these institutions ‘satanic’.

• More than 400 bodies were found in months across thousands of forest acres. With so many human remains uncovered and autopsies conducted, Mackenzie sat rather emotionless in the courtroom.

• He was previously convicted in 2019, also relating to the deaths of children: he was however released on bond. In December, he was sentenced to one year of jail for producing & distributing films without license; all these cases are still in court.