Mombasa, Kenya: A High Court in Mombasa has found religious leader Paul Mackenzie and around 30 other accused guilty in a case linked to the deaths of 191 people in the Shakahola forest in eastern Kenya. Mackenzie was the leader of the Good News International Church.
According to reports, Mackenzie allegedly urged his followers and their children to starve themselves to death, claiming that doing so would enable them to reach heaven and meet Jesus. Nearly all the victims were children, with only one reported adult among the dead. Prosecutors described the case as one of the most significant criminal cases in Kenya’s history.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Kenya said the court found that Mackenzie had used an organised system of religious teachings and a strict hierarchy of authority to enforce deadly fasting among his followers, CNN reported.
The prosecution said the forced fasting began with children. Guards allegedly monitored the movements of followers and created conditions that prevented them from escaping.
Court proceedings also highlighted Mackenzie’s opposition to modern medicine and formal education. The case has drawn international attention to the dangers of religious extremism and the exploitation of vulnerable followers.
The Shakahola deaths investigation remains one of Kenya’s most closely watched cases, raising serious questions about oversight of religious organisations and the protection of children from abuse.
