Kenya: Verdict expected Monday in Shakahola massacre trial

The Mombasa court is expected to deliver its verdict on Monday in the trial of self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and 94 co-defendants, who are accused in the deaths of more than 530 people. The bodies were exhumed from mass graves discovered in 2023 in Shakahola Forest in eastern Kenya. Prosecutors allege Mackenzie persuaded followers to starve themselves by promising they would meet Jesus after death; he and his associates pleaded not guilty in 2024. The defense disputes the strength of the evidence, while autopsies found signs of starvation, asphyxiation, neck compression and head trauma in some victims.