‘Preacher’ convicted in mass murder case

A self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates were found guilty of murdering 191 people, mostly children, in an infamous starvation cult. Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the cult base inland from the Kenyan beach resort of Malindi, in what became known as the ‘Shakahola Forest Massacre’. IoL reports that self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie was alleged to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to ‘meet Jesus’. ‘I am satisfied that the prosecution has proved the case against all the 29 accused persons for the murder of 190 children and one adult,’ the judge said. Relatives of the victims were in court, many making their way to Mombasa from rural communities along the coast. There have been calls in Kenya for tougher regulations on religious organisations after it emerged that Mackenzie had been arrested twice in the past but released. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said in 2024 that the death toll was 429. Some victims are still unidentified.

Full IoL report