A Kenyan court has found Paul Mackenzie, the leader of a starvation cult, and approximately 30 others guilty of murder in connection with the deaths of 190 children and one adult. This case is considered one of the worst cult-related disasters in recent history.
Background
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after police received a tip-off, leading to the discovery of bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest, located near the southeastern coast of Kenya. Prosecutors allege that Mackenzie and his Good News International Church organized a Christian doomsday sect that instructed followers to starve themselves and their children to death in order to reach heaven before the world ended.
Mackenzie denied the murder charges, claiming he did not force anyone to starve. However, the court rejected his defense. To date, over 400 bodies have been recovered from the Shakahola forest, with many in advanced stages of decomposition. Only 26 of these bodies have been identified so far.
Court Proceedings
During a hearing that lasted more than eight hours, Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache addressed the court, stating that in some instances, children were isolated and denied food while their parents were forced to watch. Mackenzie appeared in court wearing a striped polo shirt and red trousers, sitting silently beside his wife, who is also a co-accused.
Relatives of the victims gathered at the Mombasa High Court to hear the verdict. Francis Wanje, 62, who lost eight family members, including two grandchildren, expressed the emotional toll the tragedy has taken on his family, stating, "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 … I was hoping for this particular day."
