Mombasa: After years of waiting, a court in Mombasa, Kenya, found self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie and 28 others guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult in a starvation cult.
The case is among Kenya’s most disturbing episodes of religious extremism, exposing how followers of a self-styled preacher were allegedly persuaded to starve themselves and their children to death in the belief that they would meet Jesus, as reported by News18.
The prosecution revealed that Mackenzie, who remained impassive in court, initiated and directed extreme fasting at his 800-acre ranch in Shakahola Forest, inland from the coastal resort of Malindi. The deaths came to light in 2023, when authorities began uncovering shallow mass graves across the forest.
In a massive recovery operation, hundreds of bodies have since been found, with the overall death toll exceeding 400. Some victims remain unidentified.
Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the verdict and said the prosecution had proved its case against all 29 accused in the murders of 190 children and one adult.
Mackenzie had established a “structured hierarchy of death” at his ranch, under which children were to die first, followed by teenagers, women and finally men, the prosecution argued.
The court heard evidence of deaths caused by starvation, as well as asphyxia, manual neck compression and traumatic head injuries. Starvation was established as the cause of death in 72 cases. In another 110 cases, severe decomposition meant the cause could not be determined, but the court said circumstantial evidence supported the inference that those victims had also died of starvation.
Mackenzie’s church displayed the defining features of a cult, with followers subjected to isolation and domination and encouraged to break intimate family ties, the judge noted. The consequences were particularly devastating for children, some of whom were starved by their own mothers.
“That, in my final analysis, is the evil of radicalisation,” Mochache said, adding: “That which was once unthinkable becomes an act of obedience, and what was once instinctive becomes sin.”
Mackenzie used religious teachings to persuade his followers to undertake extreme fasting in preparation to meet Jesus, the prosecution submitted. The verdict marked a major development in a case that has raised questions about the regulation of religious organisations in Kenya.
For relatives of the victims, the verdict brought an end to one stage of a long legal process, though it could not undo the losses suffered by their families.
The verdict brought a measure of justice for Francis Wanje, but little relief from a loss that has remained painfully personal. The 62-year-old Kenyan lost eight members of his family, including his daughter and two grandchildren, in the Shakahola Forest massacre.
“I know that my people will not come back again, but at least something has happened,” Wanje said after the verdict. He described the loss as deeply painful, placing his hand over his heart as he spoke.
He was happy with the outcome but stressed the weight of his grief. Wanje also expressed surprise that the court had reached a verdict after years of waiting, particularly given what he described as the authorities’ initial inaction.
Mackenzie’s estranged son, Dan, 24, was also present in court and briefly expressed relief.
“Justice has happened to the victims,” he said.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions welcomed the verdict as “momentous”. Its director, Renson Ingonga, told reporters that securing convictions on such counts was not something that came easily.
Mackenzie’s defence lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, called the verdict “perplexing”, saying his clients were surprised and disappointed. He said the defence intended to appeal, expressing confidence that the verdict would be overturned.
Sentencing is expected on November 6.
The self-styled pastor had been on the authorities’ radar for years. He founded the Good News International Church in 2003 and established branches in Nairobi and along Kenya’s coast, attracting thousands of followers, although he claimed the church had closed in 2019.
Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after a rights group alerted authorities and some followers were rescued. The subsequent police operation uncovered hundreds of shallow graves, and the rising number of recovered bodies at one point forced a pause in excavations as local morgues ran out of space.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the death toll at 429 in 2024, while some victims remain unidentified. In January, Mackenzie was charged in connection with a further 52 bodies found at a nearby village.
