Kenyan court convicts starvation cult leader of murdering 191 people

A Kenyan court has found self‑styled pastor Paul Mackenzie and 28 of his followers guilty of murder for the deaths of 191 people, almost all of them children. Mackenzie, who headed the Good News International Church, ran a Christian doomsday group that instructed members to starve themselves and their children in order to reach heaven before an alleged end of the world. Police took Mackenzie into custody in 2023 after receiving a tip, and later uncovered bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola Forest near the coastal town of Mombasa.

During the trial in Mombasa, Mackenzie denied forcing anyone to starve, but the court rejected his claim and delivered the verdict on Monday. The defendants had previously pleaded not guilty to a range of charges that included terrorism, radicalisation and denying children an education. Justice Diana Mochache announced that sentencing will take place on 6 November.

Authorities say more than 400 people died in the Shakahola tragedy, making it one of Kenya’s deadliest cult‑related disasters. Investigators found mass graves and signs of severe malnutrition, prompting a national debate about religious extremism and the state’s failure to detect the group’s activities sooner. Since the bodies were discovered three years ago, there have been calls for stricter regulation of religious organisations. It also emerged that Mackenzie had been arrested twice before but was released each time.

Prosecutors said Mackenzie “initiated and directed” the extreme fasting at his 800‑acre ranch in the forest, describing a “structured hierarchy of death” that placed children at the top, followed by teenagers, women and then men.

Family members of the victims attended the hearing. Francis Wanje, 62, who lost eight relatives including two grandchildren, said the loss has caused profound psychological distress for his family. “It has been really a heavy thing for us as a family, and it has really taken us very far in terms of psychological problems,” he told the court.