Kenyan pastor guilty of 191 murders in forced-starvation cult case
Pastor Paul Mackenzie was found guilty of 191 murders after forcing followers, mostly children, to starve to death.
A Kenyan pastor has been found guilty of 191 murders after forcing followers to starve themselves and their children as part of his doomsday sect. Pastor Paul Mackenzie and 28 others were convicted of running the Good News International Church, which enforced what a judge called "deadly fasting" on followers.
Of the 191 victims, 190 were children and one was an adult. The deaths occurred between January 2021 and early 2023 in a forest community Mackenzie set up near Malindi in south-east Kenya.
When police investigated in April 2023, they found more than 400 bodies in shallow graves and mass graves across the ranch. Mackenzie and his co-accused face life in prison at their sentencing on November 6.
- 191 deaths, 190 children and 1 adult
- Murder convictions
- January 2021 to early 2023
- Timeline
- Over 400 found in April 2023
- Bodies discovered
Why it mattersThe conviction of a religious leader for systematically killing hundreds of followers through starvation represents one of the largest mass-murder cases prosecuted through Kenyan courts.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, but the case highlights how isolated cult communities can operate undetected and the risks posed by charismatic leaders who distort religious doctrine.
Corroborated bytheguardian.com
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