# Cult leader convicted of 191 murders in Kenya

> Paul Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death in Shakahola forest. His son says siblings were still being forced to fast weeks before the trial.
- Title: Cult leader convicted of 191 murders in Kenya · BBC News
- Summary: Paul Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death in Shakahola forest. His son says siblings were still being forced to fast…
- Keywords: paul mackenzie, shakahola forest, kenya, cult, murder conviction, starvation, dan mackenzie, news, world, leader, convicted, 191
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6d7q2rxqxgxo
- Published: 2026-10-20T11:59:13.322+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: paul mackenzie, shakahola forest, kenya, cult, murder conviction, starvation, dan mackenzie, news, world
## Cult leader guilty of 191 murders
Paul Mackenzie, a Kenyan cult leader, was found guilty on Monday of murdering one hundred ninety children and one adult who starved to death in Shakahola forest near the coast.
## He ordered followers to starve
Mackenzie ordered members of his doomsday cult to starve themselves and their children to death so they could meet Jesus. Twenty-eight other cult leaders were also convicted of murder.
## His son reports recent starvation
Dan Mackenzie, twenty-seven, the cult leader's eldest son, says his younger siblings were forced to fast as recently as two weeks ago.

> They were basically forcibly fasted because they were denying food to them for almost three days.
## Dan escaped the cult as a child
Dan was forced to fast for almost a week when he was twelve and was beaten by church members for hours to make him attend services.

> I left school when I was seven.
## Dan now supports his siblings
Living in the coastal town of Malindi, Dan works as a motorcycle taxi driver to support himself and his younger siblings. He reported his grandmother to free his siblings from the cult's teachings.
## Mackenzie faces sentencing soon
Justice Diana Mochache delivered an eight-hour judgment in Mombasa. Mackenzie is due to be sentenced on sixth November and faces separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and denying children an education.
## Key takeaway

Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie was convicted of murdering one hundred ninety people and one adult who starved to death in Shakahola forest after he ordered followers to starve themselves and their children.