Kenyan cult leader sentenced to 200 years for Shakahola forest deaths

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie was accused of inciting his followers to starve themselves to death to "meet Jesus".

Last month, he was found guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult between January 2021 and September 2023, alongside 28 co-accused.

The former taxi driver appeared indifferent as he arrived at Mombasa High Court on Friday.

Justice Diana Mochache said Mackenzie bore the "primary criminal culpability" for ordering his followers to fast to death.

"The sentence is appropriate and just, to send an unmistakable message that such atrocities warrant the maximum penalties allowed by law," she said.

The court sentenced him to 100 years for homicide charges and 100 years for offences related to starvation. Twenty-eight accomplices were also sentenced to a range of prison terms, the longest 160 years. 

Mackenzie's lawyer said he would appeal.
The cult leader has also denied charges of manslaughter and terrorism in separate cases.

Francis Wanje, a 62-year-old teacher who lost two grandchildren, told French news agency AFP he had hoped Mackenzie would be sentenced to death to prevent further tragedies.

"Nothing can ease the pain," said Wanje, who blamed authorities for failing to act swiftly. "I really have great [anger] towards the authorities. If they had taken action, we would not be here today."

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Death penalty

Prosecutors had called for the death penalty, citing the scale of the loss of life and the danger posed by Mackenzie's actions.

Although Kenya's law provides for the death penalty, the country has not carried out an execution since 1987.

Prosecutors also asked the court to sentence Mackenzie's co-accused to life imprisonment, arguing they had "been deeply indoctrinated by Mackenzie and were at risk of reoffending". They included guards who enforced his orders to fast and people who dug graves to conceal the bodies of those who died.

Around 120 prosecution witnesses testified during the trial.

Mackenzie established his church, Good News International Ministries, in 2003, setting up branches in Nairobi and along Kenya's coast that attracted thousands of devotees.

According to witnesses, the doomsday movement denounced formal education as "satanic", viewed modern medicine and hospitals as instruments of the devil and required followers to cut themselves off from the outside world.

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After the main church shut down in 2019, Mackenzie relocated to the Shakahola forest.

He was arrested in April 2023, after a rights group tipped off authorities and some followers were rescued, several of them emaciated.

Post-mortems indicated most victims died of starvation, while others were killed by suffocation, strangulation or head injuries. Witnesses said those who opposed Mackenzie risked being beaten to death.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said in 2024 that the death toll was 429. Some victims remain unidentified.

The case has fuelled calls for tighter regulation of religious organisations, after it emerged that Mackenzie had previously been arrested twice but released.

He was arrested in 2017 over charges of "radicalisation" but was acquitted. He was arrested again in 2019 in relation to two child deaths at Shakahola, but freed on bail.

(with AFP)