A Kenyan court found cult leader Paul Mackenzie and approximately 30 others guilty of murder in connection with the deaths of 190 children and one adult. The victims died after Mackenzie's religious sect ordered followers to starve themselves and their children.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after police received a tip. Weeks later, authorities began discovering bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest near the coast in south-eastern Kenya. The Guardian describes the deaths as one of the world's worst cult-related disasters in recent history.
The court verdict marks the conclusion of an investigation into the sect that had instructed adherents to fast as a religious practice, resulting in mass starvation deaths. The guilty verdicts apply to Mackenzie and the approximately 30 co-defendants charged in the case.