Pastor Sentenced to 200 Years in Prison for Murdering 191 People

A self-proclaimed Kenyan pastor, Paul Mackenzie, has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for the murder of 190 children and one adult in a notorious starvation cult that shocked the country.

Mackenzie was convicted last month alongside 28 co-accused over the deaths, which occurred between January 2021 and September 2023 at the sect’s base in Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi.

On Friday, the court sentenced him to 100 years for homicide offences and another 100 years for charges relating to starvation.
Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty, arguing that the scale of the killings and the danger posed by Mackenzie’s activities warranted the harshest punishment.
The self-proclaimed preacher was accused of encouraging his followers, including children, to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus.

Twenty-eight accomplices were also handed lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the killings.
The case, popularly known as the Shakahola Forest Massacre, came to light in April 2023 after authorities were alerted by a human rights organisation, leading to the rescue of several followers and the discovery of mass graves.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights estimated the death toll at 429 in 2024, with some victims still unidentified.
Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, also faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies. His lawyer has indicated plans to appeal the conviction.