Kenya cult leader convicted of murdering 191 people, mostly children

The leader of a Kenyan cult, Paul Mackenzie, has been found guilty of murdering 191 individuals, with all but one being children. This conviction was delivered by Justice Diana Mochache in Mombasa, Kenya. Mackenzie instructed his followers to starve their children to death, claiming that this would enable them to meet Jesus in the afterlife. His teachings included prohibitions against education and modern medicine, which he labeled as 'evil.'

Alongside Mackenzie, 28 other leaders of the cult were also convicted of murder, all of whom pleaded not guilty. They consistently asserted that no one was forced to die. Justice Mochache's eight-hour judgment detailed the disturbing beliefs held by Mackenzie’s followers, who viewed him as 'Jesus’s mouthpiece.' One of the co-accused indicated that Mackenzie had told followers that those who resisted the fasting directive should be 'forced to go to heaven through kicks and blows.'

The cult's practices included euphemistically referring to burials in the forest, where many of the bodies were discovered, as 'weddings,' celebrating the deaths as a union with Jesus. Testimonies from witnesses revealed harrowing accounts, including that of a pregnant woman who was prevented from nursing her newborn, who subsequently died twelve days later after the mother was instructed to fast to death.

Mackenzie’s former head of security, Enos Amanya Ngala, initially faced charges but later entered a plea deal, becoming a witness for the prosecution. Mackenzie and other cult leaders are also facing additional legal issues, including charges related to terrorism, radicalization, and denying education to children. However, this verdict marks the first time Mackenzie has been held accountable for the serious charges of murder.

The investigation into Mackenzie began in 2023 when authorities uncovered over 400 bodies buried in shallow graves in Shakahola forest, near the Kenyan coast, where Mackenzie had led his followers. One witness, Stephen Mwiti, expressed his grief, stating he lost all six of his children to the cult. He conveyed his relief at the conviction, saying, 'I’m a happy man, that all persons have been convicted.'

The grim task of exhuming the bodies was carried out by seventeen men hired from a nearby town, often receiving minimal compensation for their labor. They reported that each grave typically contained multiple bodies, some of which were children as young as a few weeks old. The gravediggers described the horrific scene, noting that many of the bodies had been tied and wrapped in bedsheets, with some graves holding as many as twelve children arranged on top of one another.

Mackenzie founded Good News International Ministries in 2003, and over the subsequent years, the church attracted thousands of followers from across Kenya. The cult's activities and the resulting legal ramifications have drawn significant media attention, highlighting the disturbing intersection of faith and criminality in this tragic case.