NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, the self–proclaimed Kenyan pastor who is accused of orchestrating the deaths of more than 400 members of his congregation by starvation, was ruled mentally fit to stand trial by the High Court at Malindi on Tuesday (Feb. 6).The taxi driver-turned-charismatic preacher faces multiple charges, including murder and terrorism, after being accused of convincing members of his church — some say “cult” — to pray and fast until death, with the goal of meeting Jesus. Authorities allege that when the congregants died, the pastor and his alleged accomplices buried the bodies in shallow graves in the nearby Shakahola forest, in southeastern Kenya.
Nthenge never adopted the flamboyant designer suits and footwear of the most prominent African televangelists, but according to the Kenyan authorities he managed to convince dozens of men and women that the world would end on April 15, 2023.
“He should be held accountable for the deaths of many innocent people, who believed in him as one that God has send to give them hope … but ended up killing them,” Anglican Bishop Alphonce Mwaro Baya of Mombasa told Religion News Service. “He took advantage of the many challenges that the people were going through. There are many …
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Nthenge never adopted the flamboyant designer suits and footwear of the most prominent African televangelists, but according to the Kenyan authorities he managed to convince dozens of men and women that the world would end on April 15, 2023.
“He should be held accountable for the deaths of many innocent people, who believed in him as one that God has send to give them hope … but ended up killing them,” Anglican Bishop Alphonce Mwaro Baya of Mombasa told Religion News Service. “He took advantage of the many challenges that the people were going through. There are many …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]