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Kenyan father haunted by children's deaths ahead of starvation cult leader's sentencing
Prosecutors seek the death penalty as relatives say his followers kept promoting the cult’s teachings after his arrest.
Kenyan father Stephen Mwiti says all six of his children died in the Shakahola Forest tragedy after his wife took them there in 2022, following teachings associated with preacher Paul Mackenzie.
Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants were convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult after prosecutors accused them of directing followers to starve themselves and their children to reach heaven.
Mwiti has expressed concern that Mackenzie and his followers could continue spreading their teachings in prison, urging authorities to keep them isolated from other inmates.
More than 400 bodies were recovered from the Shakahola Forest, but authorities managed to identify only 26 victims because many remains were severely decomposed.
As Mackenzie and his co-defendants face sentencing, Mwiti continues to struggle with the loss of his children, preserving their photographs and school uniforms as lasting memories.