Kenyan cult leader convicted of ordering deaths of 191 people

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 16:57 · Archive

A Kenyan cult leader has been convicted of murdering 191 people, including 190 children, in a mass death involving starvation.

Paul Mackenzie, a taxi driver turned cult leader, has been found guilty of murdering 191 people, including 190 children and one adult. Mackenzie led the Good News International Ministries, an apocalyptic cult that convinced followers to starve themselves and their families. Kenyan authorities discovered the remains of over 400 bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola Forest near the coast in 2023.

Mackenzie established his cult in 2003 and gradually gained influence across Kenya, eventually drawing thousands of followers. He operated a television channel called Times TV where he broadcast End Days sermons filled with conspiracy theories. He called education 'evil' and described medical care as 'against the doctrine'. In 2019, he moved his operation to the Shakahola Forest, where he allegedly lured devoted followers to join him.

Mackenzie and 29 of his followers were charged with the murders. The investigation began when local herders discovered the remains in 2023. By 2025, prosecutors had recovered more than 400 bodies from the shallow graves in Kilifi County.

How it is being reported

• Doomsday cult pastor who 'told parents to starve kids to death' charged with 191 murdersA religious fanatic cult leader accused of murdering 191 people after hundreds of bodies, including children, were discovered in shallow graves will learn his fateThe Mirror · 19 Oct, 15:00
• Doomsday cult leader found guilty of murdering 190 children and one adultA doomsday cult leader has been found guilty of ordering his followers to starve themselves - leading to 191 deaths.Sky News · 19 Oct, 10:21

In this story: Paul Mackenzie · Good News International Ministries · Kenya · Shakahola Forest · Kilifi County

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