Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie convicted of 191 murders
A Kenyan court found cult leader Paul Mackenzie and others guilty of murder on Monday over the starvation deaths of 190 children and one adult, Reuters, the BBC and the Daily Nation reported. Prosecutors said he ordered followers to starve to death to reach heaven. He is due to be sentenced on November 6.
A Kenyan High Court in Mombasa on Monday found doomsday preacher Paul Mackenzie and others guilty of murder over the deaths of 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola forest, Reuters, the BBC and the Daily Nation reported.
Prosecutors say Mackenzie and his Good News International Church organized a doomsday sect in which followers were ordered to starve themselves and their children to death to go to heaven before the world ended, Reuters reported. Mackenzie denied the murder charges, saying he did not force anyone to starve, but the court rejected that argument, Reuters reported.
The number of co-accused convicted differs in reports. Reuters reported that about 30 others were found guilty, the BBC reported that 28 other cult leaders were convicted, and the Daily Nation referred to Mackenzie's 30 co-accused.
Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the judgment in a hearing lasting more than eight hours, Reuters and the BBC reported. She said that in some cases children were isolated and denied food while their parents watched, Reuters reported. The judge found that the accused "acted jointly and in concert in furtherance of a common unlawful purpose" to sustain the fasting regime, the Daily Nation reported. She found that the deaths were caused by unlawful acts rather than being unintended results of religious practice, the Daily Nation reported.
Mackenzie's followers believed he was "Jesus's mouthpiece," the judge said, according to the BBC. Burials in the forest were called "weddings," the BBC reported. The co-accused had pleaded not guilty, insisting that nobody was forced to die, the BBC reported.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after a tip to police, and weeks later authorities began finding bodies in shallow graves, Reuters reported. More than 400 bodies have been recovered from the forest, and only 26 have been identified, Reuters reported. Monday's judgment covered 191 deaths, and investigations into the others are continuing, Reuters reported. Mackenzie also faces other cases, including on terrorism charges, and is due to be sentenced on November 6, the BBC reported.
What we know: Mackenzie and his co-accused were convicted of 191 murders and face sentencing on November 6.
What we don't: The sentences, and the exact number of co-accused convicted, which differs among reports.
Where outlets agree Reuters, the BBC and the Daily Nation report that a Mombasa court convicted Paul Mackenzie of murder over 191 starvation deaths at Shakahola.
Where they differ Reuters reported that about 30 others were convicted with Mackenzie, while the BBC reported 28 and the Daily Nation referred to 30 co-accused.