The recent discovery of 90 bodies believed to be victims of starvation in Kenya has once again shone a light on the dangers of cults and their charismatic leaders.
This calamity exposes the influence that cult leaders can exert on their adherents and the extreme actions they may resort to in order to comply with their leader’s instructions.
In this case, the leader in question was Pastor Paul Mackenzie, the founder of the Good News International Church in Kenya.
Mackenzie’s teachings focused on abandoning earthly life and preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ through fasting and prayer.
His followers were asked to meet at his 800-acre farm in the village of Shakahola in Kilifi county to participate in a fast to meet Jesus.
Despite the danger of such practices, Mackenzie was able to attract more than 3,000 devoted followers to his movement.
Mackenzie is not the first cult leader to cause such harm to his followers. Shoko Asahara, the founder of the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan, claimed to be a messiah and preached a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs combined with apocalyptic predictions and conspiracy theories.
Under his leadership, the cult became involved in a range of illegal activities, including the manufacture and stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons.
In 1995, the group carried out a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, killing 13 people and injuring thousands. Asahara was eventually arrested, found guilty of murder and terrorism, and executed in 2018.
Another infamous cult leader was Jim Jones, who founded the Peoples Temple in the United States. The group was initially known for its emphasis on social justice and community service, but over time, Jones became increasingly paranoid and controlling.
In 1978, Jones ordered his followers to carry out a mass suicide, which he called a “revolutionary act.” Over 900 people, including children, died in what is now known as the Jonestown massacre.
Joseph Di Mambro, the founder of the Order of the Solar Temple in France, claimed to be a spiritual organization that aimed to unite various religions and promote world peace.
However, the group became involved in illegal activities, including fraud, money laundering, and arms trafficking. In 1994, Di Mambro and several other members of the group ordered a mass suicide of their followers, which took place in Switzerland and Canada.
In total, 53 members of the group died.
David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians in the United States, was also known for his apocalyptic teachings. In 1993, the FBI launched a raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, resulting in a 51-day siege that ended in a fire that killed 79 cult members.
Joseph Kibwetere, the founder of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in Uganda, espoused a mix of Catholicism and indigenous beliefs and claimed to have received divine visions and messages.
In 2000, over 700 members of the group were killed in a mass murder-suicide at the group’s compound in Kanungu, Uganda.
