Leader of Kenyan doomsday cult that left more than 400 followers dead convicted of 191 murders

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult linked to more than 400 deaths was convicted Monday of murdering 190 children and one adult in one of the country’s most significant cases involving religious extremism.

Justice Diana Kavedza ruled that the deaths resulted from an organized system in which religious teachings were used to compel followers to fast to death.

Pastor Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church in coastal Kenya, ordered his followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus and established an elaborate leadership structure to enforce the fasting.

In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on the 800-acre (320-hectare) Chakama Ranch in coastal Kilifi County, where Mackenzie’s followers lived in mud huts, away from the scrutiny of local communities and authorities.

Mackenzie was arrested and charged with murder alongside dozens of his followers. Some of his followers later became prosecution witnesses in the case, which has been on trial since 2023.

The court found that the directive to fast to death was implemented by targeting children first, while guards were deployed to prevent them from escaping, beating those who attempted to escape or eat.

Mackenzie also told his followers to shun education and health care. In her ruling on Monday, Justice Kavedza said that “medical treatment was presented as an instrument of Satan."

In April last year, the Court of Appeal allowed the prosecutor to proceed with 191 murder charges against Mackenzie and his co-accused.

In May 2024, the High Court directed prosecutors to reduce the murder charges to no more than 12 counts. However, the Court of Appeal ruled that the law does not limit the number of charges that can be brought against a defendant.

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This version has been corrected to note that the charges are of murdering 190 children and one adult.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa