A Kenyan cult leader who predicted the end of the world and is linked to more than 400 deaths has been convicted of the murder of 190 children and one adult after he commanded his followers to starve themselves to death to meet Christ.
Judge Diana Kavedza ruled that Pastor Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, oversaw a system that used religious teachings to force followers to fast to death.
In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on a 800-acre (320-hectare) farm in the coastal Kilifi County, where Mackenzie's followers lived in mud huts away from the oversight of local communities and authorities.
Mackenzie has been arrested and charged with murder alongside his wife and dozens of his followers, some of whom later became prosecution witnesses in the case, which began in 2023. He has denied all charges, stating he did not force his followers to fast.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 30, while a ruling is set for November 6.
The court found that the directive to fast to death was carried out by first targeting children, while guards were deployed to prevent them from escaping and to beat those who tried to flee or eat.
Mackenzie also ordered his followers to avoid education and healthcare, and Judge Kavedza stated in her ruling on Monday that medical treatment was presented as a tool of the devil.
For William Bonda Ngala, whose mother, older brother, and nephew died, Mackenzie's conviction offers hope that it serves as a lesson for other religious leaders who might seek to exploit their followers in the future.
He told the Associated Press that finally, as a family, they can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Mackenzie and all who caused the deaths of his family members have been convicted.
In April of last year, the Court of Appeal allowed the prosecution to proceed with 191 murder charges against Mackenzie and his co-defendants, and in May 2024, the Supreme Court ordered 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.