Starve-to-Meet-Jesus: Kenyan pastor convicted after 190 children die in tragic fasting

A Kenyan court has convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 other defendants over the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, in a starvation cult case that shocked the country.
The verdict was delivered on Monday, October 19, 2026, in Mombasa over deaths linked to a religious group operating in Shakahola Forest near Kenya’s coast.
The court found that Mackenzie, founder of the Good News International Church, and other leaders used religious teachings and an authoritarian structure to persuade followers to fast until death in the belief that they would meet Jesus.
Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache said the deadly fasting began in January 2021 and continued for more than two years before authorities uncovered the group’s activities.
The judge compared the tragedy to other notorious mass-death incidents linked to cults and described the leadership structure as highly authoritarian.
Mackenzie’s teachings reportedly discouraged formal education and modern medical treatment, which followers were taught to regard as contrary to religious doctrine. Children were among those targeted by the fasting directive, while survivors said people who resisted or attempted to escape faced violence.
The case came to light in 2023 after authorities investigated reports of missing people and discovered graves in Shakahola Forest. More than 400 bodies have since been recovered, with investigators linking many deaths to starvation and others to injuries and suspected acts of violence.
Some of the victims were children whose identities remain unknown because of the condition of their remains.
Survivors have described the conditions in the forest, where families reportedly lived in makeshift homes and followed the group’s strict religious practices.
One survivor, Peter Shukrani, said he was rescued in March 2023 after becoming seriously ill. He told the BBC that his mother had discarded his medication because she believed in Mackenzie’s teachings against medical treatment.
Despite his experience, Shukrani maintained that followers had chosen to fast voluntarily and continued to regard Mackenzie as his pastor.
However, relatives of victims have accused the preacher of responsibility for the deaths. Stephen Mwiti, who said he lost all six of his children in the forest, described the tragedy as a devastating personal loss.
Mackenzie and the other defendants had denied the murder charges, with the preacher maintaining that he did not force followers to starve themselves.
The pastor, who established his ministry in 2003 and attracted thousands of followers through church branches and televised sermons, moved his activities to Shakahola after his main church closed in 2019.
His teachings reportedly included warnings against education, healthcare and digital identity documents, which he portrayed as contrary to religious beliefs.
The case is part of wider legal proceedings against Mackenzie and other group leaders, who also face separate charges relating to alleged manslaughter, terrorism and crimes against children.
Mackenzie and the convicted defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2026. They could face life imprisonment.