Gendered Devotion and Fatal Extremism An Analysis of the Shakahola Massacre of 2023 in Kenya

Abstract

This article sets out to examine the gendered dimensions of religious extremism that was experienced during the Shakahola Massacre of 2023 in Kenya. The bizarre activities were witnessed in the Good News International Church which was led by Paul Nthenge Mackenzie. It sets out on the premise that patriarchal teachings, apocalyptic beliefs and socioeconomic vulnerability can intersect to shape participation and victimhood in religious extremism. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative research design using a literature-based approach, draws on 180 online secondary sources, including news reports, documentaries, survivor interviews and theological analyses. Theoretically, the article is anchored in Juergensmeyer’s (2003) cosmic war theory and the concept of gendered vulnerability in interrogating how Mackenzie’s teachings reframed starvation and death as acts of sacred victory against a corrupt world. Findings reveal a disproportionate impact on women and children with women involvement, and shaped by intersecting factors of poverty, spiritual yearning and social isolation. Conversely, their maternal identities were manipulated into tools of sacrificial obedience. It establishes that the Shakahola massacre exemplifies how patriarchal religious structures and extremist ideologies can transform devotion into death, with profound gendered consequences. It recommends gender-sensitive policy interventions, robust regulation of religious movements and public education initiatives that address the socioeconomic and spiritual vulnerabilities exploited by extremist leaders.