Paul McKenzie, leader of a doomsday cult in Kenya who forced followers, including children, to starve to death, resulting in many fatalities, has been convicted on 191 counts of murder.
On Monday, 19 Oct 2026 GMT+7, a Kenyan court found Paul McKenzie, leader of the doomsday cult, guilty of 191 counts of murder, almost all involving children. Another 29 senior cult leaders were also convicted on the same charges.
Court evidence revealed that McKenzie ordered followers to starve children to death so they could "meet Jesus." Followers believed McKenzie was the "voice of Jesus," and anyone who disobeyed the fasting order faced physical abuse including kicking and beating. The cult's teachings also forbade children's education and labeled modern medicine as "evil."
The cult's practices were exposed in 2023 after many shallow graves were found in Shakahola forest. Excavations uncovered over 400 bodies, mostly children, some bound hand and foot and wrapped in bedsheets.
This marks McKenzie's first murder conviction. He and other cult leaders also face additional charges such as terrorism and opposing education, with sentencing scheduled for 6 Nov 2026.
McKenzie founded the cult, calling it the Good News International Ministries church in 2003. He spread teachings via his own TV station, expanding to branches across Kenya with thousands of followers before closing the church in 2019 and leading followers to establish a remote forest community near the Galana River.
The forest community consisted of scattered mud homes where followers lived by McKenzie's teachings—without education, hospitals, or medical treatment. The situation worsened when McKenzie ordered followers and their children to starve to death, claiming it would allow them to meet Jesus. Funeral ceremonies were euphemistically called "weddings."
Before McKenzie's conviction, his son, Dan Paul McKenzie, told the media that his father should be convicted of mass murder. Stephen Mwiti, who lost all six children to the cult, expressed anger, saying, "If I met Pastor McKenzie today, someone would die."
However, some followers like Peter Chukrani, who fell ill in the forest but was forbidden by his mother to take medicine per cult teachings, remain loyal. He still expressed love for McKenzie, calling him a "caring man" and "spiritual father."
Chukrani insisted, "McKenzie did not force anyone to fast. Everyone chose to do it themselves based on their own beliefs," and concluded, "I still love him, and he remains my pastor."
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Source:bbc