In Kenya, a religious sect leader was found guilty of murdering 190 children

A Kenyan court found the founder of the International Church of the Good News, Paul Mackenzie, guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult. According to the LETA agency citing AP, the religious leader organized a system in which followers were forced to starve to death. According to the investigation, Mackenzie convinced sect members that refusing food and subsequent death would allow them to meet Jesus Christ. Judge Diana Kavedza established that the pastor used religious teachings to control followers and force them into life-threatening starvation. ## Children were guarded to prevent them from escaping The court found that children were the first to be forced to starve to death. They were kept under guard, not allowed to leave the sect's territory. Those who tried to escape or find food were beaten. Mackenzie also demanded that followers renounce education and medical assistance. According to the judge, medical treatment in the sect was presented as "a tool of Satan." ## More than 400 bodies found in shallow graves The scale of the tragedy became known in 2023 when mass graves were discovered on the Chakama ranch in Kilifi County. Bodies of more than 400 people were exhumed from shallow graves. The ranch covered about 320 hectares. Mackenzie's followers lived there in clay huts, away from local communities and the attention of authorities. Investigators believe that the sect's activities led to the deaths of more than 400 people, although the current court ruling pertains to 191 murders. ## Sentencing to be announced on November 6 Mackenzie was arrested in 2023. Along with him, charges were brought against his wife and dozens of sect followers. Some of them later became prosecution witnesses. Mackenzie himself denied the charges, claiming he did not force people to starve. During the proceedings, there was also a dispute over the number of charges the prosecution was allowed to bring against the defendants. In May 2024, the High Court ruled that the number of murder charges should be reduced to a maximum of 12. However, in April 2025, the Court of Appeal overturned this limitation, stating that the legislation does not set a maximum number of charges. This allowed the prosecution to continue the case on all 191 counts. Mackenzie's sentencing is expected to be announced on November 6.