Kenyan cult leader found guilty over starvation deaths of nearly 200 children

A Kenyan court on Monday found self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 associates guilty of murdering 191 people, including 190 children, in a starvation cult that shocked the country.

The case is linked to the Shakahola Forest massacre, in which hundreds of bodies were discovered from 2023 onwards at a site near the coastal resort of Malindi. Mackenzie was accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death to “meet Jesus”.

“I am satisfied that the prosecution has proved the case against all the 29 accused persons for the murder of 190 children and one adult,” the judge said in a court in Mombasa.

How the starvation cult operated

Prosecutors said Mackenzie initiated and directed extreme fasting at his 800-acre ranch in Shakahola Forest. They alleged that the cult followed a “structured hierarchy of death”, under which children were expected to die first, followed by teenagers, women and men.

Most of the children died of starvation, while others suffered asphyxia, neck compression and traumatic head injuries, according to prosecutors citing post-mortem examinations and police reports.

Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after a rights group alerted authorities and some followers were rescued. A subsequent police operation uncovered hundreds of shallow mass graves. Excavations were temporarily halted as local morgues ran out of space.

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Death toll exceeds 400

The number of bodies recovered has since risen to well over 400. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the death toll at 429 in 2024, with some victims still unidentified.

Mackenzie has also faced separate charges of manslaughter and terrorism, which he has denied.

He established the Good News International Church in 2003 and opened branches in Nairobi and along Kenya's coast, attracting thousands of followers. He claimed the church had closed in 2019, but authorities later linked him to the deaths in Shakahola Forest.