NAIROBI: A Kenyan court has sentenced Paul Mackenzie, the leader of a starvation cult, to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult. Justice Diana Kavedza delivered the sentence on Friday, comprising 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years for direct homicide. The victims were starved to death on Mackenzie’s orders and buried in a forest.
Twenty-eight accomplices, convicted alongside Mackenzie last month, received various prison terms. The self-proclaimed pastor, who led the Good News International Church, instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children to reach heaven before the world ended and “meet Jesus.” His accomplices used threats and violence to enforce compliance among the victims.
Mackenzie, dressed in a grey polo shirt and black trousers, appeared smiling as he entered a tent for the hearing. He denied the murder charges, arguing that he did not force anyone to starve, but this defence was rejected by the Mombasa court.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after police received a tip-off. In subsequent weeks, authorities unearthed bodies in the Shakahola Forest, revealing emaciated corpses scattered across shallow graves and even some buried alive. Over 400 people are believed to have died in the Shakahola incident, highlighting one of Kenya’s worst cult-related tragedies.
The scale of the killings is reminiscent of infamous cult disasters, including a 2000 Ugandan doomsday cult that resulted in over 700 deaths and the 1978 Jonestown massacre in Guyana, where more than 900 people were killed after ingesting poison.
Investigations into Mackenzie’s activities unearthed mass graves and indications of severe malnutrition. This incident has sparked nationwide scrutiny regarding religious violence and the government’s failure to act sooner. Since the bodies were found, there have been calls for stricter regulations on religious organisations. It has also come to light that Mackenzie had been arrested twice previously but was released each time.
