Starvation cult leader found guilty of murder of 190 children, 1 adult in Kenya

October 19, 2026 / 12:13 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

A self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates were found guilty of murdering 191 people, all but one of them children, in an infamous starvation cult by a Mombasa court on Monday.

"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," the judge said.

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."

Paul Mackenzie is alleged to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to "meet Jesus."

Mackenzie and his associates pleaded not guilty to 191 counts of murder in 2024. He has also denied charges of manslaughter and terrorism in separate cases.

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 looked impassive as he arrived at Mombasa Law Courts on Monday with 29 other accused, who descended from a barred-window bus handcuffed in pairs.

Relatives of the victims were also in court, many…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/