By Ashiadey Dotse
A Kenyan religious leader, Paul Mackenzie, has been found guilty of murdering 191 people, including 190 children, after allegedly directing his followers to starve themselves and their children to death to meet Jesus.
Mackenzie, who led the Good News International Ministries, was convicted alongside 29 other leaders of the religious group. All the accused had pleaded not guilty, insisting that nobody was forced to die.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Diana Mochache said Mackenzie’s followers believed he was the mouthpiece of Jesus Christ.
The court heard that Mackenzie taught his followers that fasting until death would enable them to meet Jesus. He also described formal education as evil and modern medicine as contrary to his religious teachings.
One of his co-accused told the court that Mackenzie had instructed his followers to force those who resisted fasting to heaven through physical violence.
The case is linked to the deaths of hundreds of people in Shakahola Forest, near Kenya’s coastal region, where Mackenzie established a community for his followers.
Authorities discovered more than 400 bodies in shallow graves in the forest after investigations began in 2023. Many of the victims were children, and several bodies remain unidentified because of decomposition.
Witnesses described disturbing scenes during the recovery of the remains, including children buried together in shallow graves. Some bodies reportedly showed signs of violence.
One witness, Stephen Mwiti, said he lost all six of his children after they joined Mackenzie’s group. He said he had managed to recover and bury only the remains of his son, Samuel.
Mwiti’s former wife was among those convicted alongside Mackenzie.
The court also heard accounts of children being denied medical treatment and nursing mothers being instructed to continue fasting. One witness said a newborn baby died after the mother was prevented from nursing the child and was instructed to fast to death.
Mackenzie established Good News International Ministries in 2003 and attracted thousands of followers through church branches across Kenya. The church also operated a television station, Times TV, which broadcast his sermons.
His teachings included opposition to education, healthcare and digital identity cards, which he reportedly described as the mark of the devil.
The church’s main operations were shut down in 2019, after which Mackenzie moved to Shakahola Forest and encouraged his followers to join him.
Some survivors said they were denied medication while living in the forest. Peter Shukrani, who joined the church as a child, said his mother discarded his medicine because she believed that only God could heal him.
Shukrani was rescued in March 2023 after falling seriously ill. He said he believed he would have died had he not been rescued.
Despite his experience, Shukrani continued to defend Mackenzie, saying followers chose to fast because of their beliefs.
However, Mackenzie’s son, Dan Paul Mackenzie, said his father should be held responsible for the deaths because of his position as the group’s leader.
The murder convictions are the latest legal development involving Mackenzie and other leaders of the group, who also face separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and denying children access to education.
