A Kenyan court has convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie of murdering 190 children and one adult by forcing them to starve to death to “meet Jesus,” in a massacre that President William Ruto described as “akin to terrorism.”

Justice Diana Kavedza delivered the verdict in Mombasa on Monday, finding Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants guilty on all 191 murder counts. The court found that his Good News International Church used religious teachings and a hierarchy of village elders to organize and enforce fatal fasting in Shakahola Forest in coastal Kilifi County.

“Mackenzie’s followers were first whipped through an established religious and communications network. They were subsequently directed to relocate. Once at the settlement, they were directed to fast,” Justice Kavedza said.

The judge found that children were targeted first, while guards beat followers who tried to eat or escape. Mackenzie also instructed believers to reject schools and healthcare, according to the ruling.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 6. Mackenzie denied forcing followers to fast. His lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, called the verdict “perplexing” and said the defense intends to appeal.

Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after police rescued emaciated followers in Shakahola Forest, where investigators subsequently uncovered hundreds of bodies in shallow graves. Postmortem examinations showed that some victims died from suffocation, strangulation, or head injuries. Others were too badly decomposed for a cause of death to be established.

A total of 429 bodies were recovered from graves in Shakahola Forest, according to a 2024 report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. The commission accused security officials of “gross abdication of duty and negligence” for ignoring credible warnings dating back to 2017.

Earlier this year, Mackenzie and seven associates faced new charges after investigators discovered the bodies of 52 people who allegedly died between January and July 2025 at Kwa Binzaro, around 30 km from Shakahola.

Prosecutors allege that even after his arrest, Mackenzie continued to influence followers through intermediaries and financial networks. Investigators reportedly recovered handwritten notes from his cells allegedly detailing financial transactions conducted through mobile phones. The defendants denied the charges.

During the trial, prosecutors called 123 witnesses, including children and adult accomplices, and presented DNA analysis, digital recordings, and forensic reports, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement on Monday.