Kenyan Cult Leader Convicted of 190 Children’s Deaths

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A Kenyan doomsday cult leader has been found guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult in a harrowing case that has shocked the nation. Paul Mackenzie, a self-proclaimed Christian pastor, and 28 others were convicted by a Mombasa court for their roles in a cult that ordered followers to starve themselves in pursuit of meeting Jesus, believing the end of the world was imminent.

Cult and Conviction Details

Mackenzie established the Good News International Church in 2003, which was allegedly shut down in 2019. The conviction came after an eight-hour court session led by Judge Diana Mochache, who detailed the cult’s belief that Mackenzie was Jesus’s mouthpiece. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 6.

The case, known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre,” gained notoriety after hundreds of bodies were discovered in the forest near Malindi in March 2023. Over 420 bodies were reportedly exhumed, many of which remained unidentified due to advanced decomposition.

Starvation and Rituals

Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 and formally charged in 2024. Prosecutors claimed he initiated and directed the starvation orders that led to the deaths at his 800-acre compound. Evidence showed a structured hierarchy of death, with children dying first, followed by teenagers, women, and then men. Some victims showed signs of asphyxia, manual neck compression, and traumatic head injuries.

The cult’s rituals included macabre ceremonies described as “weddings,” where the deceased were celebrated as having “wedded with Jesus.” An unnamed co-accused testified that Mackenzie instructed followers to force resistant individuals to “go to heaven through kicks and blows.”

Impact and Testimonies

A witness described a pregnant woman being prohibited from nursing her newborn, who died days later. The cult also forbade education and modern medicine, calling them “evil.” Stephen Mwiti, a man who lost all his six children to the cult, expressed happiness after the convictions, noting his ex-wife was among those convicted.

Source: Breitbart

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claire.thomson