A Kenyan court on Monday convicted self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 associates of murdering 190 children and one adult in the infamous Shakahola Forest massacre. The victims allegedly starved themselves to death on Mackenzie’s instructions to “meet Jesus”.

Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the cult’s base in Shakahola Forest, inland from the coastal resort of Malindi. The death toll has since crossed 400.

“I am satisfied that the prosecution has proved the case against all the 29 accused persons for the murder of 190 children and one adult,” Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache said in an open-air courtroom in Mombasa.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions welcomed the verdict. Director Renson Ingonga called it “momentous” and told reporters, “Getting a conviction of such counts...is not something that comes that easily.”

Francis Wanje, 62, who lost eight family members, including his daughter and two grandchildren, said the verdict brought some relief. “I know that my people will not come back again, but at least something has happened,” he said, describing his loss as “very painful, it's very heavy”.

Mackenzie’s estranged son, Dan, 24, also expressed relief, saying, “Justice has happened to the victims.” Relatives of several victims attended the hearing, though many could not travel from rural coastal communities to Mombasa.

Judge Mochache reviewed the charges in detail. Prosecutors alleged that Mackenzie initiated and directed extreme fasting at his 800-acre ranch in Shakahola Forest. They described a “structured hierarchy of death” that required children to die first, followed by teenagers, women and men.

Investigators established starvation as the cause of death in 72 cases. Other victims died from asphyxia, manual neck compression and traumatic head injuries. The court inferred that 110 victims whose causes of death remained “unascertained” had also died from starvation, citing circumstantial evidence.

The court found that Mackenzie’s church displayed the defining features of a cult. Members faced isolation, domination and pressure to break family ties, leading some mothers to starve their own children.

“That, in my final analysis, is the evil of radicalisation,” Judge Mochache said. “That which was once unthinkable becomes an act of obedience, and what was once instinctive becomes sin.”

Defence lawyer Lawrence Obonyo called the verdict “perplexing” and said his clients were “surprised, and they are disappointed”. He said he planned to appeal, adding, “We have so much confidence that the verdict will be overturned.” Sentencing is expected on November 6.

Authorities arrested Mackenzie in April 2023 after a rights group alerted them and rescued some followers. Police later uncovered hundreds of shallow mass graves. Excavations were temporarily halted as local morgues ran out of space.

Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights reported 429 deaths in 2024. Some victims remain unidentified. In January, Mackenzie faced charges linked to another 52 bodies found in a nearby village.

Mackenzie founded Good News International Church in 2003 and established branches in Nairobi and along the coast. He claimed the church closed in 2019. Authorities arrested him in 2017 on radicalisation charges, but he was acquitted. In 2019, police arrested him over two child deaths at Shakahola, but released him on bail. The case has fuelled calls for stricter regulation of religious organisations.