Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years for 191 murders

A Kenyan court has sentenced Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult.

Sentencing details

Justice Diana Kavedza said the sentence was comprised of 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years by direct homicide. Of the 191 victims, 183 died of starvation and eight were killed by direct homicide, including suffocation, strangulation or beating.

Mackenzie was convicted alongside 28 followers, including guards who enforced fasting directives and gravediggers who helped conceal mass graves. All denied the charges except one person who confessed and pleaded for leniency. Mackenzie's assistant pastor, Smart Mwakalama, was sentenced to 160 years in prison.

The case

Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus. Followers moved to a remote location in Shakahola Forest in coastal Kilifi County. In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on the 800-acre (320-hectare) Chakama Ranch.

More than 60 bodies were positively identified and reburied by their relatives, while many others remain unidentified and unclaimed. The Guardian reports that only 26 could be identified.

Other charges and reactions

Mackenzie also faces terrorism and manslaughter charges for more than 200 other victims, as well as child abuse and torture charges in two other courts. Prosecutors had argued for the death penalty for Mackenzie and life imprisonment for his accomplices.

All of those convicted have been granted 14 days to file an appeal. Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo told The Associated Press that he had already launched an appeal, saying the decision was "circling around the constitution to give a sentence that is unattainable" since sentences of between 160 and 200 years amount to life sentences.

A father of seven, Suleiman Ziro, who lost six of his children and his wife to the cult in 2023, said the sentence wasn't enough and called for the death penalty. Mackenzie's son, Dan Mackenzie, said he felt sorry for his father but it was "justice served to the victims."

Those sentenced to death in Kenyan courts serve a life sentence. Kenya's last execution was in 1987.

---

Sources

• npr.org: Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years in prison : NPR
• cnn.com: Kenyan cult leader sentenced to 200 years in prison over the deaths of 190 children | CNN
• dw.com: Kenya cult leader Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years
• theguardian.com: Kenyan doomsday sect leader jailed for 200 years for murder of 190 children | Kenya | The Guardian
• thedailybeast.com: Doomsday Cult Leader Paul Mackenzie Sentenced to 200 Years for 191 Murders
• aljazeera.com: Kenyan court sentences starvation cult leader to 200 years | Crime News | Al Jazeera

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.