The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult has been found guilty of using forced starvation to kill 191 of his followers, including children .
Pastor Paul Mackenzie was convicted alongside 28 others who helped run a sect connected to his evangelical Good News International Church.
Mackenzie and his co-accused are due to be sentenced on November 6, and face life in prison.
High Court judge Diana Kavedza said evidence showed the cult had encouraged and enforced fasting as a way to enter heaven, starting with children. She said it began in January 2021 and lasted more than two years before authorities discovered what was happening .
The sect was uncovered in April 2023 after Mackenzie closed his church premises in Malindi and moved with hundreds of followers inland to the nearby Shakahola Forest.
Police found followers suffering from extreme hunger and shallow graves spread across a large ranch. More than 400 bodies were dug up over three weeks, many from mass graves.
Mackenzie is a former street vendor and taxi driver who set up his church in Malindi in 2003.
His preaching included opposition to formal schooling, some medicines and vaccinations.
WHY IT MATTERS
The Shakahola massacre is one of the deadliest cult tragedies in modern African history. It raises profound questions about the regulation of religious institutions, the vulnerability of followers to charismatic manipulation, and the failure of authorities to intervene despite warnings.
ValidViewNetwork reports that sentencing is scheduled for November 6.
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