Kenyan cult leader faces verdict over 191 starvation deaths

A Mombasa court is due to deliver its verdict in the trial of Paul Mackenzie and his associates, accused of murdering 191 people, mostly children, in Shakahola Forest. Prosecutors allege the self-proclaimed preacher directed followers to starve themselves to death to “meet Jesus”; more than 400 bodies have been uncovered since 2023. Mackenzie and his co-accused pleaded not guilty, while victims’ relatives seek justice and Kenya faces calls for tighter regulation of religious organisations.