A Kenyan court has found the leader of a starvation cult and about 30 others guilty of murder over the deaths of 190 children and one adult in a major cult-related disaster.
Paul Mackenzie and his church established a sect that ordered followers to starve themselves and their children, according to prosecutors. Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after police received a tipoff, and weeks later, authorities began uncovering bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest near the coast in south-eastern Kenya.
Prosecutors allege that Mackenzie and his Good News International Church organised a Christian doomsday sect in which followers were ordered to starve themselves and their children to death to reach heaven before the world ended. More than 400 bodies have been recovered from the Shakahola forest, with only 26 identified. The court rejected Mackenzie’s claim that he did not force victims to starve.
Why it matters
The discovery of graves shows how authorities failed to stop a cult's deadly practices.
This section reflects Dumpling editorial interpretation and is provided for context only.
What to watch
Watch whether authorities will investigate how Mackenzie evaded detection for years.
This section reflects Dumpling editorial interpretation and is provided for context only.