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Mombasa High Court Convicts Paul Mackenzie of 191 Murders

By Drooid · Oct 19, 2026, 6:07 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Paul Mackenzie Convicted

Mombasa High Court convicted Paul Mackenzie of murdering 191 people, including 190 children.
The court also found about 30 Good News International Church members guilty.
Prosecutors said the cult forced followers to starve themselves and their children.
Autopsies showed many victims died of starvation, others from blunt trauma or strangulation.
Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the judgment on Monday, setting sentencing for 6 November.

Summary

Kenyan Court Schedules

The court scheduled the sentencing hearing for Monday, November 2, with a verdict due Friday, November 6.
Defence lawyer Lawrence Obonyo said the lack of forensic archaeology, radiology and DNA analysis weakens murder proof.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights criticised agencies for ignoring earlier warnings about Mackenzie’s practices.
The Court of Appeal in 2025 allowed all 191 murder counts to be tried together despite defence objections.

History

Historical Context

On November 18 1978 Jim Jones ordered the Peoples Temple’s Jonestown commune in Guyana to kill 918 followers, a tragedy investigated by a 1979 Senate probe headed by Senator Ted Kennedy that found 27 % died from forced starvation. Kenya’s Mombasa High Court now tries Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Church for a comparable 191-person killing, prompting the National Commission on Human Rights to call for tighter cult-monitoring laws.

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Paul Mackenzie Convicted

Mombasa High Court convicted Paul Mackenzie of murdering 191 people, including 190 children.
The court also found about 30 Good News International Church members guilty.
Prosecutors said the cult forced followers to starve themselves and their children.
Autopsies showed many victims died of starvation, others from blunt trauma or strangulation.
Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the judgment on Monday, setting sentencing for 6 November.

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