Kenyan doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years in prison
A Mombasa court found Mackenzie guilty of murdering 191 people after he ordered followers to fast to death.
A High Court in Mombasa, Kenya, sentenced Pastor Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church to 200 years in prison on Friday for the murders of 191 people. Justice Diana Kavedza said he bore the primary criminal culpability.
Mackenzie was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult after he ordered followers to starve themselves to meet Jesus. The court said 183 victims died of starvation and eight died of direct homicide. Kavedza called the killings cold and calculated and said the convicted showed no remorse.
Mackenzie also faces terrorism and manslaughter charges tied to more than 200 other victims, plus child abuse and torture charges in two other courts. His assistant pastor, Smart Mwakalama, received 160 years. The convicted have 14 days to appeal. In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves at a ranch in Kilifi County.
Key points
- Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years for the murders of 191 people
- The court said 183 victims died of starvation
- Convicted members have 14 days to appeal; more charges are pending
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