A self-proclaimed pastor has been found guilty of killing 190 children after shallow graves were found in a forest in Kenya. The graves were said to contain the human remains of more than 400 people.
The horrifying scene only came to light after local herders discovered a series of shallow graves in the Shakahola Forest, near the Kenyan coast, in 2023. In one of the country's most significant cases involving religious extremism, a pastor has now been convicted of murder in connection with the deaths.
Court hears of starvation plot
A court heard Paul Mackenzie convinced his followers and parents of his doomsday cult, the Good News International Ministries group, to starve their children to death so they could "meet Jesus". Mombasa Law Courts also heard 29 of his followers have also been charged with killing the 190 children and one adult.
Mackenzie and his co-defendants were arrested after more than 400 bodies from the 800-acre Chakama Ranch in coastal Kilifi County, where Mackenzie's followers lived in mud huts, away from the scrutiny of local communities and authorities, were recovered from the graves last year.
Autopsies reveal cause of death
Justice Diana Kavedza ruled that the deaths resulted from an organised system in which religious teachings were used to compel followers to fast to death. Many of the deceased died of hunger, according to autopsies, while others, including children, appeared to have been beaten, suffocated or strangled. Sadly, many have remain unidentified due to their extreme decomposition.
According to the BBC, one gravedigger, James, paid to uncover some of the bodies claimed some remains included that of babies. He said: "Every grave we found had at least three bodies. Some of the remains were of children as young as a few weeks old. We once found 12 bodies of children in a line inside a grave. It was massive, the bodies were arranged like clothes. One on top of another."
Cult leader's rise and fall
It is reported the evil pastor established his cult in 2003 and grew in popularity, drawing in thousands of people to join branches across Kenya. Mackenzie also ran his own TV channel, called Times TV, where the doomsday preacher would broadcast his End Day sermons, during which he called education "evil" and medical care as "against the doctrine" amongst other conspiracy theories.
After shutting down his church operation in 2019, he relocated to the Shakahola Forest where the court heard he lured some of his devoted followers to join him. Mackenzie also faced additional charges, including terrorism, denying children education and radicalisation.
Victims' families speak out
Another grave digger, Salim Karisa, claimed some people died as they were being rescued from the forest. He said: "We would carry someone out of the forest but they were so frail that they would die in our arms."
One mourning father, Stephen Mwiti, 48, also said how he tragically lost all six of his children to the cult after his former wife moved into the forest with the cult leader. She stands as one of the co-accused. He said: "All six of my children died in Shakahola forest. I only found and buried the remains of my son Samuel." The man said the pastor's TV appearances started his wife's descent into the doomsday cult. He added: "If I met Pastor Mackenzie today, one of us would have to die."
