CULT LEADER FOUND GUILTY OF MURDERING 191 PEOPLE

MOMBASA, OCTOBER 20 /SRNA/ - A court in Mombasa has found a preacher of the Good News International cult Paul Mackenzie guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult whom he forced to starve to death so that they could "meet Jesus," Russia Today reported.

Judge Diana Kavedza found Mackenzie and 28 accomplices guilty on all 191 counts of murder.

The court found that the cult had used religious teachings and a hierarchy of village elders to organize and carry out a deadly fast in Shakahola Forest, in the coastal county of Kilifi.

"Mackenzie's followers were first subjected to beatings through an established religious and communication network, after which they were instructed to relocate. Upon arriving at the settlement, they were ordered to fast," Kavedza said.

The judge established that children were targeted first, while guards beat followers who attempted to eat or escape.

According to the ruling, Mackenzie also persuaded believers to reject education and healthcare.

He was arrested in April 2023 after police rescued starving followers in Shakahola Forest, where investigators subsequently discovered 429 bodies in shallow graves.

Autopsies established that some of the victims had died from suffocation, drowning or head injuries.