A Kenyan court has found self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and his co-accused guilty of 191 counts of murder linked to the Shakahola forest deaths, involving 190 children and one adult.
The judgment was delivered at the Mombasa High Court on Monday, October 19. Kenya Broadcasting Corporation reported that the court found the deaths were connected to an organised system of deadly fasting enforced among followers.
Mackenzie led the Good News International Church. Prosecutors said followers were encouraged to starve themselves and their children in preparation for what he described as the end of the world.
The Shakahola tragedy came to light in 2023, when authorities began uncovering mass graves in Shakahola Forest, in Kenya’s coastal Kilifi County. Hundreds of bodies were subsequently recovered, drawing international attention and prompting investigations into the group’s activities.
The case has raised concerns about the protection of children and vulnerable followers, as well as oversight of religious organisations. The verdict is a significant development in the prosecution of the Shakahola deaths.