A Mombasa judge found a self-proclaimed preacher and twenty-eight associates guilty of murdering children and adults in a starvation cult.
A Kenyan court found a self-proclaimed preacher and twenty-eight co-defendants guilty of murdering 191 people in the Shakahola Forest starvation cult case. Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the cult base inland from Malindi.
Paul Mackenzie and his associates were convicted after the judge stated the prosecution proved the case for the murder of 190 children and one adult. The accused stood impassive in the Mombasa courtroom while relatives of the victims looked on.
The High Court rejected claims that the victims voluntarily fasted to death to meet Jesus. Mackenzie continues to face separate charges of manslaughter and terrorism.
Why it mattersRelatives of the victims and the general public are affected by the closure and accountability delivered by the court ruling on the mass starvation deaths.
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