Kenyan Cult Leader Found Guilty of Killing 190 Children and One Adult
A Kenyan court has convicted religious sect leader Paul Mackenzie of the murders of 190 children and one adult after he urged followers to starve to death. Sentencing is set for 6 November.
A court in Kenya on Monday, 19 October, found religious sect leader Paul Mackenzie guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult. The High Court in Mombasa ruled on the case against the head of the "Good News International Church", a former taxi driver who told followers that the end of the world was near and that the only way to reach heaven was to give up food until death. The case has become one of the deadliest incidents linked to a religious sect in modern times.
Life in the forest
Under Mackenzie's influence, entire families moved to the remote Shakahola forest in south-eastern Kenya. They lived in shelters made of plastic sheeting and straw, cut off from the rest of society. Adults not only stopped eating themselves but also denied food to their children. Followers were forbidden to send children to school or seek medical care, as Mackenzie called schools and hospitals satanic.
Investigators found he had built an organised system in which religious teaching was used to force people to starve, while appointed guards prevented members from escaping or obtaining food. According to witness accounts, the starvation was planned in three stages: first children, then women and young men, and finally the remaining men.
How the crime came to light
Authorities first learned of the situation in March 2023, when a local resident reported that his brother and the brother's wife had starved their children in the forest on Mackenzie's instructions. Mackenzie was detained but later released on bail. He was arrested again in April, and police began searching the forest. More than 400 bodies were found, but only 26 victims could be identified. The verdict covers 191 deaths; investigation of the others continues.
Trial and aftermath
Mackenzie denied the charges, but the court rejected his arguments and convicted him along with 28 co-defendants. Sentence will be announced on 6 November, and the defence has said it will appeal.
The case caused outrage partly because police had searched his organisation's premises in 2017 and the church was closed in 2019. President William Ruto admitted in 2023 that the authorities should have been able to prevent the deaths. The case has prompted debate over stricter oversight of religious groups. Mackenzie also faces other charges, including terrorism-related offences and the deaths of 52 people in Kwa Binzaro village, which he denies.
