A shocking cult murder case in Kenya has drawn attention after a court found Christian cult leader Paul Mackenzie guilty of the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, in Shakahola forest. Mackenzie and 30 other suspects were convicted at the Mombasa High Court on Monday. The victims were followers who were subjected to an organised system of fasting and abuse.

How The Cult Lured Its Followers

Mackenzie, who ran the Good News International Church, was accused of telling his followers to starve themselves and their children to death to reach heaven and meet Jesus. According to the court, he used religious sermons and written materials to convince people that the outside world was evil and that salvation could only be found by moving to Shakahola forest.

Judge Diana Kavedza said evidence taken from Mackenzie’s phone, including WhatsApp messages, showed that he communicated with followers before they moved to the forest. They were persuaded to leave their homes, families and livelihoods behind, CNN reported, citing court proceedings.

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Children Forced To Fast

The court found that fasting was enforced through an organised system in which religious teachings and a hierarchy were used to control followers. Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said, “Fasting was implemented sequentially, beginning with children, while guards controlled movement and prevented followers from escaping…Children were restrained, denied food and punished for attempting to eat or escape.”

The court heard that Mackenzie discouraged modern medicine and formal education. Also, those who resisted his instructions to fast were reportedly forced to comply, while guards prevented followers from leaving. Postmortem findings cited by the judge showed that starvation was not the only cause of death. Some victims died from suffocation, neck compression or head injuries.

The case began after authorities started recovering bodies from Shakahola forest in April 2023. So far, 429 bodies have been recovered, and further charges could follow as investigations continue. Mackenzie and his co-accused have been charged with the murders in 2024 after hundreds of bodies were discovered in the forest.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie’s lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, told reporters that the defence team planned to appeal the verdict. He said Mackenzie continued to maintain that he had not forced anyone to fast and that the victims had acted voluntarily.

Deadly Cults Still Prevalent?

Kenya’s shocking cult case raises serious questions about how religious teachings can be misused to manipulate people even in the 21st century. Cases from around the world show that the dangers linked to cults are not limited to one country. In the United States, the Zizians group was linked by authorities in 2025 to several killings.

In India, the 2018 Burari case saw 11 members of a family found dead in circumstances involving shared beliefs and ritual practices. In Japan, the Aum Shinrikyo cult carried out a 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, killing 13 people and injuring thousands. Similarly, the Order of the Solar Temple saw 74 members die in a series of fires, murders and suicides across France, Switzerland and Canada between 1994 and 1997.

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