A Kenyan court found cult leader Paul Mackenzie guilty of murdering 191 people. Most of the victims were children who died from starvation.
A Kenyan court found cult leader Paul Mackenzie guilty of murdering 191 people. Almost all of the victims were children. Mackenzie told his followers to starve their kids to death. He claimed this would help them meet Jesus.
Also, the court convicted twenty-eight other leaders for their roles in these deaths. These people claimed they were innocent. They insisted that nobody died against their will. However, evidence showed a different story.
Next, Justice Diana Mochache delivered an eight-hour ruling in Mombasa. She explained that followers viewed Mackenzie as a holy messenger. One witness said the leader forced people to fast. He even used violence to ensure his rules were followed.
After that, the group buried victims in a forest. They called these graves weddings. They celebrated the deaths as a union with Jesus. One mother could not feed her newborn child. The infant died shortly after birth.
Meanwhile, officials discovered over 400 bodies in shallow graves. This happened in the Shakahola forest in 2023. Local workers dug up the remains. They found children stacked on top of each other like clothes.
Still, Mackenzie faces more legal battles. He must answer for terrorism and radicalization charges. He also faces counts of denying children an education. The court will announce his sentence on November 6.
Then, the church leader founded his ministry in 2003. He eventually moved his followers into the forest. He taught that schools and medicine were evil. His influence led to many tragic deaths.
Finally, some followers still support him. One survivor said he still loves his former pastor. However, the son of the cult leader disagrees. He called his father a mass murderer.