Justice Diana Mochache handed down the judgment at the Mombasa Law Courts on Monday - in one of the world's worst cult-related disasters in recent history.

At the end of a long day and her 1,000-page judgement, she asked each of the accused to stand and read out their name, adding, "convicted on all 191 counts of murder".

She found that followers of Mackenzie's Good News International Church (GNI) had been stripped of their independence long before they moved to the Shakahola Forest, where since 2023 authorities found hundreds of bodies in shallow graves.

The church had branches across Kenya and recruited followers from all over the country.

"By the time they were relocating to Shakahola, many of them had lost their sense of self," she said.

"Their self-trust had been eroded and most of them felt helpless and dependent on his every whim and directive. The victims had lost their personal boundaries. They could do nothing without consulting Mackenzie."

Following the conviction, Dan Mackenzie, the cult leader's son, said he was relieved that justice had been achieved.

The judge said followers had become so emotionally dependent on him that when he banned them from vaccinating their children and demanded that they give up formal or any other employment, "they obeyed without question".

She also found that the children could not consent to fasting to death, as they lacked the legal capacity to make an informed decision. Many of the children were aged between six and 10, with the youngest just a few months old.

Justice Mochache rejected the idea that the move to the forest was simply the result of Mackenzie's powers of persuasion.

"The relocation to Shakahola Forest was therefore not just inspired by his eloquence and power of persuasion, but by his full participation and supervision," she said.

She found that the teachings of Mackenzie and his associate pastors led followers to adopt an extreme belief system that rejected all government policies and violated basic human rights. It ultimately led to the deaths of 429 people, of whom 191 were the subject of the charges before the court.

Prosecutors argued that Mackenzie ordered his followers to starve themselves and their children to death so they could go to heaven before the end of the world and "meet Jesus".

They said he "initiated and directed" extreme fasting at his 800-acre ranch in the Shakahola Forest.

There was a "structured hierarchy of death" under which children should die first, followed by teenagers, women, and then men.

The children mostly died from starvation, but also from "asphyxia, neck compression and traumatic head injury", prosecutors said.

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All 31 defendants had denied the charges, but all were found guilty of murder. Their sentence will be handed down in November.

Former taxi driver Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023, after a rights group tipped off authorities and some followers were rescued.

The police operation exposed hundreds of shallow mass graves.

A total of 102 different body parts were also found, with the bodies buried in graves less than a foot deep.

There were so many bodies that local morgues ran out of space and exhumations had to be paused.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said in 2024 that the official death toll was 429. Many were severely decomposed, with only 26 bodies able to be identified.

Last month the Kenyan government directed the families of the Shakahola victims to either pick up the bodies of their loved ones or have them buried in mass graves.

Francis Wanje, 62, who ⁠lost eight family members including two grandchildren to the cult, said before the verdict: "It has been really a heavy thing for us as a family, and it has really taken us very far in terms of psychological ‌problems."

Mackenzie also faces charges of terrorism-related crimes, manslaughter and torture. In January this year, he was further charged with the murder of another 52 people found dead at a nearby village. He also pleaded not guilty in that case.

There have been calls in Kenya for tougher regulations on religious organisations after it emerged that Mackenzie had been arrested twice in the past but released.

Kenyan President William Ruto said in 2023 that government agencies should have been able to prevent the deaths and that he took responsibility as leader.

Sky News has obtained the letter sent by UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis to FIFA today after failing to receive the answers sought from Mr Infantino in a meeting of world football's council last week.

UEFA writes: "A series of decisions, transactions and interventions involving the FIFA President, the President of the United States and individuals associated with him raise serious questions concerning potential conflicts of interest, transparency and institutional accountability."

It highlights concerns about Mr Infantino's discussions with Donald Trump and associates over the creation of a FIFA cryptocurrency, as Sky News revealed in February.

UEFA also seeks answers on:

🞗 Mr Trump's call to Mr Infantino before US striker Folarin Balogun's red-card ban was lifted at the World Cup;

🞗 Working with Joshua Kushner - the brother of Mr Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner - on selling 20% of the World Cup to private investors;

🞗 Creating a FIFA Peace Prize for Mr Trump without the FIFA Council's approval;

🞗 Leasing offices in Trump Tower that UEFA claims are unused for much of the year despite costing $4m over seven years;

🞗 Announcing a $75m investment in Palestine during Mr Trump's Board of Peace meeting in February without the FIFA Council or finance committee's approval;

🞗 Arranging a World Cup sponsorship with a sports prediction company with reported links to Donald Trump Jr;

🞗 Mr Trump's daughter and grandson being involved in the 2025 Club World Cup draw.

UEFA said to FIFA: "These matters, taken together, raise questions that extend beyond the ordinary institutional relationship between FIFA and the government of a World Cup host country.

"Could FIFA provide a detailed explanation of these arrangements and interventions, including the decision-making processes followed, the identification and management of any potential conflicts of interest, the financial implications for FIFA and the extent to which the competent FIFA bodies were informed or consulted?"

UEFA is also seeking a "genuinely independent investigation" into the World Cup sell-off that was abandoned by Mr Infantino after a backlash led by Europe.

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UEFA said: "The continued reluctance to undertake such an investigation risks further undermining confidence in FIFA's transparency and governance, not only among its MAs but also among players, coaches and supporters worldwide.

"These concerns inevitably undermine our trust placed in the FIFA President's personal motivation and leadership and therefore his ability to unite our associations going forward."

UEFA wants Mr Infantino toppled from power but is yet to put forward a candidate for the FIFA presidential election in March, with the deadline a month away.

There was no immediate response from FIFA.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, was also fired from his job at the creator of ChatGPT, according to a government memo filed on Sunday.

He was arrested and charged with using or endeavouring to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications earlier this month.

Alfozan's wife and young son left the US the day after his arrest on a one-way ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official, prosecutors alleged in the filing.

Prosecutors will argue to detain Alfozan, who has worked for OpenAI since July 2025, at a San Francisco court hearing on Monday.

"Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through," federal prosecutors wrote.

"He has ample resources - including his significant compensation from a decade of high-tech employment in the Bay Area and at least two bank accounts in Saudi Arabia - and what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government."

Prosecutors added that Saudi Arabia has no extradition treaty with the US.

Alfozan's lawyers argued in court filings that the engineer had purchased one-way tickets for his family to Saudi Arabia more than two weeks before prosecutors allege the devices were installed.

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The defence said the couple planned to spend Alfozan's two-month paternity leave in Saudi Arabia following the birth of their US-citizen son.

But prosecutors argue Saudi officials purchased new plane tickets for the wife and son to leave the US sooner than the flight Alfozan initially booked for 12 October.

Alfozan's lawyers also argued that he was on track to become a naturalised US citizen with an interview with federal officials scheduled next month.

"This was a long-held dream for the Alfozan family, as it is for so many immigrants," his lawyers wrote.

"His plan was always to return to the Bay Area, where his home, his career, and his community are."

Prosecutors also allege that Alfozan said in a WhatsApp message to an unnamed person that he wouldn't leave OpenAI until his stock was vested.

Alfozan is accused of concealing an audio recording device in toilet paper and plugging it into the back of a television in an executive conference room he wasn't authorised to access. It remained there for several days before being found.

The 81-year-old was given two books, The Land Gardeners: Soil To Table and Soil: The World At Our Feet, according to a Myanmar presidential spokesperson.

The King also sent her a sealed envelope and a diplomatic communication, the spokesperson added.

Myanmar government officials handed the items to the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner in the capital Naypyidaw.

The pictures do not clearly reveal any delivery sent by the King, but show Ms Suu Kyi with two officials at a table with items between them.

Ms Suu Kyi has been detained since February 2021 when her elected government was ousted by Myanmar's military in a coup.

Since then, no foreign leader or envoy has publicly met with her despite requests.

Her whereabouts and health have also been difficult to determine, while photographs of Ms Suu Kyi have been rare.

The delivery shows rare foreign contact with Ms Suu Kyi, who was moved to house arrest in April.

In August, she was allowed to meet a representative of the International Committee Of The Red Cross following years of questions over her wellbeing.

At the time, the son of the former leader, Kim Aris, who lives in London, said: "This may be a first step, but it must not be the last."

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Ms Suu Kyi was originally serving a 33-year sentence for corruption and violating state secrecy rules - all of which she denied - in what was widely viewed as politically motivated charges.

Her sentence was later reduced and means she has 18 years to serve.

The coup which ousted Ms Suu Kyi led to widespread street protests and civil war.

Military personnel said 39 people were in hospital after the fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright on Saturday.

Sergeant Morgan Wong, of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were killed.

All four had been serving with the battalion, based in Edmonton.

Alberta premier Danielle Smith said 19 of the injured are in a critical condition, while many will require "weeks and months" of specialised, intensive medical care.

Fifty investigators are examining the fire at the military base, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday.

Military base fire - as it happened

"A fire was burning in the training area. Driven by ferocious winds, the fire jumped nearly a kilometre in less than a minute to where soldiers were gathered," Mr Carney said.

He added investigators had not determined what sparked the grass fire.

"We will get the answers to what caused this terrible tragedy, as expeditiously and transparently as necessary," Mr Carney later told reporters.

The King, who is monarch of Canada, said in a message of condolence that he and the Queen were "greatly shocked and saddened".

"Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, and with all those who have been injured or otherwise affected at this most difficult time," he wrote.

Mr Carney described the incident as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on home soil.

Flags on federal buildings across the country will be lowered to honour the victims, he added.

Some 85 soldiers were carrying out "high intensity" combat training using live munitions when the grass fire started at around 4pm local time.

The soldiers were preparing for deployment to Latvia, where Canadian forces currently have their largest international military operation.

Major General Wade Rutland said military officials were aware of the blaze for hours and thought it was contained.

However, he said the area was experiencing high winds and gusts of up to 60mph at the time, sending flames racing toward the soldiers.

He added: "The fire was a kilometre away when the wind shifted. That is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 36 seconds.

"I've certainly never seen anything like it."

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MGen Rutland said the incident remains under investigation and declined to speculate on what caused the grass fire.

He said officials do not believe the region's extensive oil and gas infrastructure had anything to do with the incident, while "outside interference" has also been ruled out.