Kenya Convicts Shakahola Cult Leader in Mass Deaths

A Kenyan court found self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 associates guilty of murdering 191 people—190 children and one adult—in the Shakahola Forest starvation cult. The victims were found at a cult base in Shakahola Forest, inland from the coastal resort of Malindi. Prosecutors said Mackenzie initiated and directed extreme fasting at his 800-acre ranch, urging followers to starve themselves to “meet Jesus.” They described a hierarchy in which children were to die first, followed by teenagers, women and men. Prosecutors said children died mainly from starvation, but some also suffered asphyxia, neck compression or traumatic head injuries. The case stems from a 2023 police operation after a rights group alerted authorities and some followers were rescued. Investigators uncovered hundreds of shallow mass graves. Excavations were paused when local morgues ran out of space. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the death toll at 429 in 2024, and some victims remain unidentified; Mackenzie was also charged in January over 52 additional bodies found in a nearby village. He denies manslaughter and terrorism charges in separate cases. Relatives of victims attended the Mombasa hearing. Francis Wanje, who lost eight family members, said he hoped the ruling would teach the public and prevent similar events, while also expressing anger at the government’s initial inaction. The case has intensified calls for stricter regulation of religious organizations. Mackenzie had established the Good News International Church in 2003 and attracted thousands of devotees through its branches. He was arrested in 2017 on radicalisation charges but acquitted, and arrested again in 2019 in connection with two child deaths before being released on bail. He was arrested in April 2023 after the Shakahola deaths came to light.

A Kenyan court is expected to issue its verdict in the murder trial of self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and his associates, who are accused of killing 191 people, most of them children. The case concerns the deaths of followers whose bodies were found in shallow graves in Shakahola Forest, near Malindi, after the discovery of mass graves in 2023. More than 400 bodies have since been recovered from the surrounding area, and some victims have not been identified. Prosecutors allege that Mackenzie urged followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus, and that children were targeted first. Mackenzie and the other defendants deny the charges. Their lawyers contend that the prosecution relies heavily on circumstantial evidence and that forensic findings are inconclusive. More than 120 witnesses testified about events spanning 2021 to 2023. The deaths prompted public outrage in Kenya and renewed demands for stronger oversight of religious organisations. Mackenzie also faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies. The murder-trial verdict is being closely followed by victims’ families seeking justice three years after the bodies were discovered.

A Mombasa court is expected to deliver a verdict in the murder trial of self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and his associates, who deny responsibility for the deaths of 191 people, mostly children, in the Shakahola Forest Massacre. Prosecutors allege Mackenzie directed followers to undertake extreme fasting at his ranch near Malindi in order to “meet Jesus,” and describe a hierarchy in which children were expected to die first. Prosecutors say children died mainly from starvation, but some also suffered asphyxia, neck compression, or traumatic head injuries. Mackenzie’s lawyers argue that the case relies largely on circumstantial evidence, hearsay, and inconclusive forensic findings. The case followed the discovery of mass graves at Shakahola in 2023. The death toll later rose to more than 400; Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights reported 429 deaths in 2024, and some victims remain unidentified. A further 52 bodies found in a nearby village led to additional charges against Mackenzie in January. The discoveries overwhelmed local morgues and forced a pause in excavations. Mackenzie and 29 other accused appeared at Mombasa Law Courts for the verdict. Victims’ relatives attended, including Francis Wanje, who lost eight family members. He said he hoped the ruling would serve as a lesson and prevent similar events, while expressing anger about the government’s initial inaction. The tragedy has prompted calls for stricter regulation of religious organizations, particularly after it emerged that Mackenzie had previously been arrested and released. Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after a rights group alerted authorities and some followers were rescued. He established Good News International Church in 2003 and built a following through branches in Nairobi and along the coast. He was arrested in 2017 on radicalization charges and acquitted, then arrested again in 2019 in connection with two child deaths at Shakahola before being released on bail. He has also denied manslaughter and terrorism charges in separate cases.

A Kenyan court has found doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 28 other leaders guilty of murdering 191 people, all but one of them children. Prosecutors said Mackenzie directed followers to starve their children and themselves to death so they could “meet Jesus.” His teachings also rejected education and modern medicine. The defendants pleaded not guilty and maintained that nobody had been forced to die. Justice Diana Mochache said followers regarded Mackenzie as “Jesus’s mouthpiece”; evidence described violence against people who resisted fasting and the deaths of children whose mothers were instructed not to feed them. Mackenzie is due to be sentenced on 6 November and faces other cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and denying children education. Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after more than 400 bodies were found in shallow graves in Shakahola forest, where he had led followers from across Kenya. Relatives and gravediggers described the scale and circumstances of the deaths. Stephen Mwiti said all six of his children died in the forest and welcomed the convictions, though he found only his son Samuel’s remains. Gravediggers recalled finding multiple bodies in graves, including children, some reportedly tied or wrapped in bedsheets. The article traces Mackenzie’s influence from the establishment of Good News International Ministries in 2003. The church grew to thousands of followers, broadcast his sermons on Times TV, and promoted teachings that described education and healthcare as evil and digital identity cards as the devil’s mark. After the church shut down in 2019, Mackenzie moved to Shakahola and encouraged followers to join him. Former follower Peter Shukrani said his mother discarded his medicine, leaving him seriously ill, and that he might have died without rescue. Despite this, Shukrani continued to regard Mackenzie as a good person and said followers chose to fast. Mackenzie’s son Dan, by contrast, said his father should be convicted because followers looked to him as their leader.

A court in Mombasa, Kenya, found self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 associates guilty of murdering 191 people—190 children and one adult—in the Shakahola Forest starvation cult case. The judge said prosecutors had proved the charges. Mackenzie and the other defendants had pleaded not guilty in 2024; his lawyers argued that the prosecution relied largely on circumstantial evidence, hearsay, and inconclusive forensic findings. Mackenzie is accused of directing followers at his 800-acre Shakahola ranch to fast to death in order to meet Jesus, allegedly enforcing a hierarchy in which children were to die first, followed by teenagers, women, and men. Prosecutors said children died mainly from starvation, but some also suffered asphyxia, neck compression, or traumatic head injuries. The case came to light after Mackenzie’s 2023 arrest, prompted by a rights group’s warning and the rescue of some followers. Police found hundreds of shallow graves. The death toll has continued to rise as investigators uncover more remains; Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights reported 429 deaths in 2024, and Mackenzie was charged in January in connection with another 52 bodies found nearby. Some victims remain unidentified. Families of the dead attended the hearing. Francis Wanje, who lost eight relatives, called the verdict important and hoped it would prevent similar abuses. The case has prompted calls for tighter regulation of religious organizations, amid criticism that Mackenzie had previously been arrested twice and released. He founded the Good News International Church in 2003, attracted followers through sermons and online activity, and allegedly persuaded devotees that starvation would bring salvation. The article also recounts his earlier arrests, his followers’ belief in his predictions, and the hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic that formed the backdrop to his preaching.

A Kenyan court convicted self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie and about 30 co-defendants of murder for deaths linked to a starvation cult operating in the Shakahola Forest. The court’s ruling covered 191 deaths: 190 children and one adult. Mackenzie and the others are due to be sentenced on November 6. Mackenzie denied forcing anyone to starve, but the court rejected his defense. Prosecutors said his Good News International Church organized a doomsday sect whose followers were instructed to starve themselves and their children in hopes of reaching heaven before the world ended. Authorities began uncovering bodies in shallow forest graves after Mackenzie’s 2023 arrest. More than 400 bodies have since been recovered, though severe decomposition has left only 26 identified. Investigations into other deaths are continuing. In an eight-hour hearing, Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache said some children were isolated and denied food while their parents watched. Relatives attended the verdict; Francis Wanje said eight family members, including two grandchildren, had died and described the family’s psychological suffering. The tragedy has prompted scrutiny of how Mackenzie continued operating despite earlier attention from authorities. Police searched his premises in 2017, and officials shut down his church in 2019. Police said he then relocated to Shakahola. The case has fueled calls for stronger oversight of churches and religious organizations. President William Ruto said government agencies should have prevented the deaths and accepted responsibility as president. People familiar with the cult’s activities told Reuters that Mackenzie planned starvation in stages, beginning with children, followed by women and young men, and then other men. Former followers also said he forbade schooling and medical care, describing those institutions as Satanic. The followers lived in makeshift shelters in areas given biblical names. After an initial arrest and release on bail in 2023, Mackenzie was arrested again as police searched the forest and exhumed graves. He faces additional charges, including terrorism-related offenses, and has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he directed the deaths of 52 people in Kwa Binzaro village while detained.

A Kenyan court has found preacher Paul Mackenzie and about 30 co-accused guilty of murder in connection with the deaths of 190 children and one adult. Prosecutors said Mackenzie and his Good News International Church established a Christian doomsday sect that instructed followers to starve themselves and their children so they could reach heaven before the world ended. Mackenzie denied forcing anyone to starve, but the court rejected his argument. Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the ruling after a hearing lasting more than eight hours, describing cases in which children were isolated and denied food while their parents watched. The judgment concerns 191 deaths. More than 400 bodies have been recovered from shallow graves in the Shakahola forest in coastal south-eastern Kenya, though only 26 have been identified; investigations into other deaths continue. Mackenzie was first arrested in 2023 after a tipoff led police to the forest. The tragedy came to light after a local man reported that his brother and sister-in-law had starved their children there on Mackenzie’s orders. The case has devastated relatives and prompted scrutiny of how Mackenzie was able to operate despite coming to authorities’ attention in 2017. His church was shut down in 2019, but police say he moved to the forest. Kenya’s President William Ruto said government agencies should have prevented the deaths and accepted responsibility as president. The case has also renewed calls for stronger oversight of religious organizations. Mackenzie faces additional charges, including terrorism-related charges concerning deaths in the forest, which he denies. Prosecutors also allege that, while detained, he directed the deaths of 52 people in Kwa Binzaro village; he has pleaded not guilty in that case.