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Cult ‘Church’ Leader Receives Sentencing For Killing 190 Children
Paul Mackenzie, founder of Good News International Church, has been sentenced in Kenya to 200 years in prison over the deaths of 190 children and one adult. The case centres on his use of religious teachings to persuade followers to fast in the Shakahola Forest, where guards and punishment enforced his rules.
The Mombasa High Court imposed 100 years for the deaths of 183 people who starved and 100 years for eight people who were suffocated, strangled or beaten. Twenty-eight followers, including guards, were also convicted of murder. Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after a tip-off; he faces separate charges of terrorism, child abuse and torture.
In short
- Kenyan preacher Paul Mackenzie received a 200-year sentence.
- The case involved 190 children and one adult.
- Twenty-eight followers were also convicted of murder.
Explained simply
Kenya is a religiously diverse country, and churches and other faith groups operate alongside state authorities and local communities. Good News International Church was founded by Paul Mackenzie, whose followers lived under rules he linked to religious teachings.
The case concerns people who went to Shakahola Forest, in coastal Kenya, where authorities later found many dead. Investigators said followers were made to fast, while guards and punishments enforced the rules; the victims included children and adults.
The case has drawn attention to how religious authority can affect people’s choices and to the state’s role in protecting children and other vulnerable people. It also raises questions about how authorities can respond when abuse is alleged within a religious group.