Kenya: the expected verdict this Monday in the trial of the Shakahola massacre

Kenya In Kenya, the verdict in the trial of Paul Mackenzie, the self-proclaimed preacher accused of the Shakahola massacre, is awaited this Monday. The Mombasa court must rule on the fate of the guru and his 94 co-accused, pursued for the deaths of more than 530 people, mostly women and children. Their bodies had been exhumed from mass graves discovered in 2023 in the Shakahola forest, in eastern part of the country. According to the prosecution, Paul Mackenzie allegedly convinced his followers to let themselves die of hunger, promising them that they would meet Jesus after their death. The case, known as the "Shakahola forest massacre," caused an international shockwave. In 2024, the preacher and his associates pleaded not guilty to charges of murder. Paul Mackenzie is also the subject of separate prosecutions for involuntary manslaughter and terrorism, charges which he also contests. According to the public prosecutor, autopsies revealed signs of famine, asphyxiation, neck compression, and head trauma in some victims. The defense, however, believes that the case relies largely on indirect evidence and inconclusive forensic elements. In 2024, the Kenyan National Human Rights Commission recorded 429 deaths. Last January, Paul Mackenzie was also indicted in a new case related to the discovery of an additional 52 bodies in a neighboring village. Some victims have still not been identified.