Kenyan cult leader faces verdict over 191 starvation deaths
A Mombasa court will deliver a long-awaited verdict on Monday in the trial of a self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates, accused of murdering 191 people, mostly children, in an infamous starvation cult. The…
The case stems from the discovery of mass graves in Kenya's Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi in 2023, which investigators described as one of the worst cult-related tragedies in the country's history. Paul Mackenzie, a self-proclaimed pastor, had reportedly preached to followers that fasting to death would allow them to "meet Jesus," leading to the deaths of men, women and children, many of whom were found emaciated or showing signs of starvation and suspected forced abstinence.
The Shakahola killings drew global attention to the activities of unregulated religious movements in Kenya and sparked debate over state oversight of churches and fringe preachers. Coverage of the verdict is consistent on the scale of the deaths and the conviction of Mackenzie alongside dozens of co-accused, though details on sentencing, the specific charges each defendant faced, and next steps such as appeals have yet to be widely reported.