MOMBASA, Kenya (AFP)—A self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates were on Monday found guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult in an infamous starvation cult.

Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the cult base inland from the Kenyan beach resort of Malindi, in what became known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre”.

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie was alleged to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to “meet Jesus”.

He was impassive in the open-air Mombasa courtroom as he and 28 others were found guilty of murder.

“I am satisfied that the prosecution has proved the case against all the 29 accused persons for the murder of 190 children and one adult,” judge Diana Kavedza Mochache said.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions welcomed the “momentous” verdict, with director Renson Ingonga telling reporters: “Getting a conviction of such counts…is not something that comes that easily”.

In the three years since the grisly discovery, more bodies of children, women and men have been unearthed, bringing the total to well over 400.

Mackenzie has also denied charges of manslaughter and terrorism in separate cases.

Some relatives of the victims were in court, but few managed to make their way to Mombasa from rural communities along the coast.

Francis Wanje, 62, lost eight family members, including his daughter and two grandchildren, in Shakahola.

While he was “happy” over the verdict, he said the loss of his family remained “very painful, its very heavy”, placing his hand over his heart.

“I know that my people will not come back again, but at least something has happened,” he said, expressing surprise at the verdict after years of waiting — and after initial government inaction.

There have been calls in Kenya for tougher regulations on religious organisations after it emerged that Mackenzie had been arrested twice in the past but released.

Mackenzie’s estranged son, Dan, 24, present at the court for the ruling, briefly expressed his “relief” over the verdict.

“Justice has happened to the victims,” he said.

– ‘Evil of radicalisation’ –
Over multiple hours, judge Mochache painstakingly took the court through the numerous charges.

The prosecution had said Mackenzie “initiated and directed” extreme fasting at his 800-acre (325 hectare) ranch in Shakahola Forest, claiming there was a “structured hierarchy of death” which said children should die first, followed by teenagers, women, and then men.

Starvation was established as the cause of death in 72 cases, additional deaths from asphyxia, manual neck compression and traumatic head injury were also recorded.

While the cause of death for 110 bodies was “unascertained”, thanks to severe decomposition, the court ruled it could be inferred that these victims also died from starvation, citing circumstantial evidence.

The court found that Mackenzie’s church had the defining features of a cult, noting its members had been radicalised through principles including isolation and domination, while breaking intimate family ties — which saw mothers starve their own children.

“That, in my final analysis, is the evil of radicalisation,” judge Mochache said. “That which was once unthinkable becomes an act of obedience, and what was once instinctive becomes sin.”

Mackenzie’s defence lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, called the verdict “perplexing” and said his clients were “surprised, and they are disappointed”.

He intended to appeal, he said, adding: “We have so much confidence that the verdict will be overturned.”

Sentencing is expected on November 6.

– Case exposed –
Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023, after a rights group tipped off authorities and some followers were rescued.

The subsequent police operation exposed hundreds of shallow mass graves, with a soaring death toll that required a pause in excavations as local morgues ran out of space.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said in 2024 that the death toll was 429. Some victims are still unidentified.

In January, Mackenzie was charged over a further 52 bodies found at a nearby village.

The self-styled pastor has a history of extremism and evaded law enforcement for years.

He established the Good News International Church in 2003, and set up branches in Nairobi and along Kenya’s coast that attracted thousands of devotees, though he claimed it closed in 2019.

He was arrested in 2017 over charges of “radicalisation” but was acquitted. He was arrested again in 2019 in relation to two child deaths at Shakahola, but released on bail.