Kenyan Cult Leader Guilty of Murdering 190 Children
Source reports published 19 Oct 2026, 10:00 am – 20 Oct 2026, 2:11 am AEST
A court in Kenya has convicted Paul Mackenzie of murdering 190 children and one adult. The conviction followed the discovery of hundreds of bodies in a forest where Mackenzie led a cult ordering followers to starve to death.
What happened
- Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, was found guilty by a Kenyan court of murdering 190 children and one adult.
- The convictions followed the discovery of hundreds of bodies in shallow graves within the Shakahola forest near Mombasa.
- Mackenzie instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children to death in order to ‘meet Jesus’ and achieve salvation.
- The court heard evidence of children being isolated and denied food while their parents observed.
- Investigations revealed that the victims mostly died from starvation, but also from asphyxia and traumatic injuries.
- Francis Wanje lost eight family members, including two grandchildren, to the cult.
- Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 following a tip-off, and subsequent police operations uncovered mass graves.
- The trial concluded with Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache stating that the prosecution had proven the case against all 29 accused persons.
Original reporting
- BBC: Shakahola cult leader Paul Mackenzie guilty of 191 murder charges in Kenya
2026-10-19T03:44:02.982000+00:00 - Guardian: Kenyan starvation cult leader guilty of murder of 190 children and one adult
2026-10-19T00:00:00+00:00 - Al Jazeera: Kenya convicts cult leader over the murder of 190 children
2026-10-19T00:00:00+00:00 - Deutsche Welle: Kenya: Cult leader found guilty of murdering 190 children, 1 adult
2026-10-19T15:49:45.043000+00:00 - New York Times World: Cult Leader Convicted of Mass Murder by Court in Kenya
2026-10-19T16:11:03+00:00 - South China Morning Post: Kenyan starvation cult leader found guilty of murder of 191 children, 1 adult
2026-10-19T15:51:17+00:00