Cults, mass graves, ‘encounters with Jesus’: In Kenya, freedom of worship comes under scrutiny

In April 2023, Kenyan human rights defenders discovered a deadly cult in the Shakahola forest. They exhumed more than 400 bodies from mass graves. The pastor of the Good News International Ministries, Paul Mackenzie, had convinced his followers that by starving themselves to death, they would meet Jesus before the apocalypse struck the Earth. In Kenya, there is complete freedom of religion – anyone can preach as they wish. But in this case, the consequences were disastrous. A trial is currently taking place. FRANCE 24’s Bastien Renouil reports.