Mackenzie’s Son Reveals Shoçking Details of How Younger Siblings Were Forced to Fast Weeks Ago

Dan Mackenzie, the eldest son of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie, has revealed that his younger siblings were allegedly forced to go without food as recently as two weeks ago, raising fresh concerns about the continued influence of the Shakahola cult.

The 27-year-old said he reported the matter to police, leading to the rescue of eight children, including his five younger siblings, from their grandmother’s house. The children were subsequently taken to a rescue centre for protection.

“They were basically forcibly fasted because they were denying food to them for almost three days,” Dan told the BBC, describing the ordeal that prompted him to seek help.

His revelations came days after his father was convicted of murder over the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children and one adult, who starved to death in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County.

The court found that Mackenzie had instructed followers of his doomsday religious movement to starve themselves and their children in the belief that they would meet Jesus. Twenty-eight other individuals linked to the cult were also convicted of murder.

Dan disclosed that he had experienced similar treatment during his childhood. He recalled being forced to fast for almost a week when he was 12 and being beaten by church members for hours to compel him to attend religious services.

He also revealed that he left school at the age of seven because his father’s teachings prohibited formal education. The cult’s doctrine reportedly portrayed modern medicine as evil and discouraged followers from accessing conventional services.

Although Dan initially defended his father, he said court proceedings gradually helped him understand the magnitude of the tragedy. He eventually decided to report relatives who continued practising the teachings, saying he wanted to protect his younger siblings.

Now living in Malindi, Dan earns a living as a motorcycle taxi rider while supporting himself and his siblings. He said some residents had treated him with hostility because of his father’s crimes, although others had accepted him after he distanced himself from the movement.

He expressed hope that the convictions would bring comfort to families who lost loved ones in the massacre.

The Shakahola investigation began attracting national attention in 2023 after hundreds of bodies were discovered in shallow graves in the forest. Mackenzie and other suspects also face separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and denying children access to education.

https://peopledaily.digital/news/mackenzies-son-my-siblings-were-being-forced-to-fast-as-recently-as-two-weeks-ago

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