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Death Toll in Paul Mackenzie's Message Sect Passes 400

July 18, 2023

The death toll for Paul Mackenzie's splinter group of William Branham's "Message" cult of personality is now exceeding 400 after additional bodies were exhumed Monday.  

The death toll for Paul Mackenzie's splinter group of William Branham's "Message" cult of personality is now exceeding 400 after additional bodies were exhumed Monday.  

Read the full article here:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230717-death-toll-in-kenya-starvation-cult-case-passes-400

According to autopsies of the bodies, starvation was not the only cause of death.  Some victims — including children — were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.[1] Mackenzie apparently worked with sixteen "enforcers" tasked with making sure that members of the cult were successful in their starvation unto death, and that no person escaped the Shakahola forest alive. 

Mackenzie fell foul of the law in 2017 after he was accused of urging children not to attend school, claiming the Bible did not recognise education. He was arrested again in March, after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents but was subsequently freed on bond. Following the discovery of the mass graves near the Indian Ocean town of Malindi, Mackenzie, his wife and 16 other defendants were taken into custody. The 16 men are accused of operating an armed "enforcer gang" tasked with ensuring that no one broke their fast or left their forest hideout alive. They remain in jail.[2]
- AFP

References

[1] Death toll in Kenya starvation cult case passes 400. 2023, Jul, 17. France24. Accessed 2023, Jul, 18 from https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230717-death-toll-in-kenya-starvation-cult-case-passes-400. "2023/17/07 Death toll in Kenya starvation cult case passes 400 According to government autopsies, starvation appears to have been the main cause of death, although some victims, including children, were strangled, beaten or suffocated"

[2] Death toll in Kenya starvation cult case passes 400. 2023, Jul, 17. France24. Accessed 2023, Jul, 18 from https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230717-death-toll-in-kenya-starvation-cult-case-passes-400. "2023/17/07 Death toll in Kenya starvation cult case passes 400"