Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie convicted over 191 deaths
publishers 14articles 17first reported 19 Oct, 09:21 UTCdeveloping since 19 Oct · 8 editions
A Kenyan court has found self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie and dozens of associates guilty of murder over the deaths of 190 children and one adult linked to his doomsday sect.
Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, was accused of directing followers in the Shakahola Forest in southeastern Kenya to starve themselves and their children so they could go to heaven before the world ended. He denied forcing anyone to fast, but the court in Mombasa rejected his argument. The defendants had pleaded not guilty.
Police arrested Mackenzie in 2023 after receiving a tip-off and subsequently discovered shallow graves in the forest. Kenyan authorities have recovered more than 400 bodies in connection with the broader case. Monday’s judgment covered 191 deaths, while investigations into the others remain under way.
Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache said some children had been isolated and denied food while their parents watched, according to The Irish Times. Authorities have also said some victims died from strangulation or blunt-force trauma and that people attempting to leave the group were attacked.
Mackenzie and the others convicted are scheduled to be sentenced on November 6.
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Written from 7 articles, 4 with the publisher's own text; 6 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 2 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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