{
  "id": 15553167,
  "title": "Kenya pastor accused of ordering parents to starve their children to death faces verdict",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/kenya-pastor-accused-of-ordering-parents-to-starve-their-children-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T03:44:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC World",
    "slug": "bbc-world",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckd6d2l3dz4xo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Kenyan court will deliver a verdict in the mass murder case involving doomsday preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 of his followers. Mackenzie and his followers are accused of murdering 191 children by forcing them to starve to death in order to meet Jesus. The cult leader's doomsday doctrine prohibited education and deemed modern medicine evil. Mackenzie and the 29 others have all pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, insisting that no one was forced to die. Authorities discovered over 400 bodies in shallow graves in Shakahola forest, near the Kenyan coast, where the cult leader once led his followers from across the country. Seventeen men were hired to dig up the graves, with some receiving only $8 (£6) a day. Many of the bodies found were of children as young as a few weeks old, with some arranged in neat lines inside the graves. Some bodies appeared to have their hands and legs tied, while others were wrapped in bed sheets. The community was described as living in mud houses scattered across the vast forest, with many people relying on the cult leader's teachings. Despite the suffering endured by the cult's followers, some still maintain that Mackenzie was a good person who cared for them.",
  "summary": "Prosecutors say Paul Mackenzie lured the latest victims to their deaths by writing notes from his prison cell.",
  "key_points": [
    "Kenyan court to rule on mass murder case involving Paul Mackenzie and 29 followers",
    "Cult leader's doctrine prohibited education and deemed modern medicine evil",
    "Over 400 bodies found in shallow graves near Kenyan coast"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The upcoming verdict in the Shakahola forest mass murder case represents a critical moment for the Kenyan justice system to address the devastating consequences of extreme doomsday doctrines.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}