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International News: Kenya Court Convicts Paul Mackenzie and 28 Others in 191 Deaths Case

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Alam Ki Khabar | Bihar News | Patna News | Samastipur News | A Kenyan court has convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 associates over 191 deaths linked to alleged forced starvation. Sentencing is scheduled for November 6.

Nairobi, October 21: A Kenyan court has convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-accused in a murder case involving 191 deaths, including 190 children and one adult. The verdict follows a major investigation into a religious group whose followers were allegedly instructed to starve themselves in the belief that they would reach heaven before the world ended. The court is scheduled to announce the sentences on November 6. <Cite refs={["turn298743news12","turn298743search0"]}/>


Shakahola Forest Mass Graves Exposed the Scale of the Tragedy


The case came to public attention in 2023 after police received information that children had allegedly been starved to death in Shakahola Forest, where Mackenzie and his followers were living. Subsequent searches uncovered mass graves, and authorities have recovered more than 400 bodies from the area. Investigations into deaths beyond the 191 covered by the latest verdict are continuing. <Cite refs={["turn298743news12","turn298743news10"]}/>


Prosecutors Describe an Alleged Three-Stage Starvation Plan


Mackenzie led the Good News International Church. Prosecutors said his teachings portrayed the end of the world as imminent and encouraged followers to stop eating so they could reach heaven. According to accounts presented in the case, the alleged plan prioritised children first, followed by women and young men, and then the remaining men.


The court rejected the defence argument that the victims had voluntarily fasted to death. Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache said some children were separated from their families and denied food while their parents watched. The judgment was delivered after a hearing that lasted more than eight hours. <Cite refs={["turn298743news12","turn298743search1"]}/>


Mackenzie Denied Forcing Followers to Starve


Mackenzie denied the murder allegations, maintaining that he had not forced anyone to go without food. The court did not accept that defence and found him and the other 28 accused guilty in the 191-death case.


The case has also raised serious questions about the monitoring of religious organisations in Kenya. Authorities had reportedly been aware of Mackenzie’s activities since 2017. His church was shut down in 2019, after which he moved his operations to the forest. Relatives said followers were discouraged from sending children to school or seeking medical treatment, with such institutions described as linked to evil. <Cite refs={["turn298743news12","turn298743news9"]}/>


Families Still Living With the Loss


For relatives of the victims, the verdict represents a major development after years of uncertainty and grief. Francis Wanje, 62, told Reuters that he had lost eight family members, including two grandchildren. He said the tragedy had caused prolonged emotional suffering for his family.


Mackenzie is also facing separate proceedings related to other deaths and alleged offences, including terrorism-related charges. Prosecutors have alleged that he directed the deaths of another 52 people while in detention; he has denied wrongdoing in that matter as well. Those allegations are separate from the verdict covering 191 deaths. <Cite refs={["turn298743news12","turn298743news11"]}/>


The Shakahola case has become one of Kenya’s most disturbing tragedies involving religious extremism and alleged exploitation of vulnerable followers. The upcoming sentencing on November 6 will be the next major stage in the case, while investigations into other deaths and related allegations continue.


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