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Kenyan cult leader found guilty over 190 children starved to death in the hope of ‘meeting Jesus’
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- Paul Mackenzie, leader of a Kenyan Christian cult, was convicted along with about 30 others for the murder of 190 children through enforced fasting and abuse in Shakahola forest, eastern Kenya.
- The court found that Mackenzie used religious teachings and a strict hierarchy to enforce deadly fasting, beginning with children, while restricting movement and discouraging modern medicine and education.
- Authorities began exhuming bodies in April 2023, recovering 429 so far, with further charges expected; some victims died from suffocation or injuries, not starvation alone.
- Evidence showed Mackenzie persuaded followers to abandon their lives and move to the forest, punishing those who resisted fasting, including restraining and denying food to children.
- Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, with families of victims seeking justice, though some express that a full sense of justice may still be elusive.
