Kenyan cult leader found guilty of murdering 191 people, mostly children

Kenyan religious figure Paul Mackenzie has been found guilty of orchestrating the murder of 191 individuals, primarily children, in the Good News International Ministries. The 30 leaders of the group were convicted alongside Mackenzie, who pleaded not guilty but insisted there was no compulsion involved. Justice Diana Mochache ruled that the followers believed Mackenzie was Jesus's messenger.

The court heard that fasting until death was a central belief, and he disparaged formal education and modern medicine. In Shakahola Forest, where Mackenzie established a community, over 400 bodies were discovered in shallow graves in 2023. Many victims were children, and several bodies are yet to be identified due to decomposition.

Testimonies revealed children being forced to starve to death, denied medical care, and mothers instructed to keep fasting despite having newborns. One survivor, Peter Shukrani, had his medicine discarded by his mother on the belief that only God could heal him. Despite his experience, Shukrani defended Mackenzie, stating that followers fasted due to their beliefs.

However, Mackenzie's son Dan Paul Mackenzie argued his father should be held accountable for the deaths due to his leadership role.