A Kenyan court is set to deliver its judgment today in the mass murder trial of doomsday preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 of his followers.
The group is accused of the murder of 191 children within the Good News International Ministries cult.
Prosecutors allege that Mackenzie forced his followers to starve their children to death in the Shakahola forest so they could attain salvation before the end of the world.
The case has sparked outrage, with many calling for tougher regulations on religious groups.
The Shakahola Forest Massacre
Back in 2023, hundreds of bodies were discovered in the Shakahola Forest, which is inland from the Kenyan beach resort, Malindi.
Over 400 bodies were discovered in shallow graves, marking this one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies.
The bodies of children make up the largest number of victims in the grsily discovery.
Pastor Mackenzie
During the trial, over 120 witnesses offered testimony on events that happened between 2021 and 2023 in the remote Shakahola forest.
While the prosecution alleges that Mackenzie directed the extreme fasting of the victims – Mackenzie and his co-accused have all pleaded not guilty – he maintains that no one was forced to die.
The preacher faces further separate charges, including terrorism and radicalisation.