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(This is a shortened and adapted translation of material from BBC correspondents. The original in English can be read here).
In Kenya, the leader of the apocalyptic sect, Paul McKenzie, was sentenced, who was found guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult. The court sentenced him to 100 years in prison for murder and another 100 years for crimes related to causing people to starve to death.
McKenzie also faces separate charges of manslaughter and terrorism; he himself denies his guilt.
According to the indictment, McKenzie and 28 others ordered members of the cult to starve their children to death so that they could “meet Jesus.” This has become one of the deadliest results of destructive cults in the world.
Judge Diana Mochache said McKenzie had "an underlying criminal responsibility".
“This sentence is appropriate and fair; it sends an unambiguous message that such atrocities are punishable by the maximum possible penalties under the law,” the judge added.
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The self-proclaimed pastor was arrested in 2023 after more than 400 bodies were found buried in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest, off the coast of Kenya. The results of forensic examinations showed that the cause of death of most victims was exhaustion (starvation), while others died from suffocation, strangulation or head injuries.
In a number of cases, it was not possible to establish the cause of death due to the decomposition of the bodies, and some victims died shortly after rescue - their exhaustion was so severe.
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The massive investigation into these events shocked Kenya and attracted worldwide attention.
Prosecutors had pushed for the death penalty, arguing that the scale and circumstances of the killings warranted the harshest punishment.
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Judge Mochache described the killings as “cold-blooded and calculated,” noting that the perpetrators showed no remorse and even declared their willingness to starve to death themselves.
However, she refused to impose the death penalty, despite the fact that, in her opinion, the gravity of the case made it possible to consider such a punishment.
“Nevertheless, the court does not consider it possible to sentence any of the defendants to death,” she said, adding that capital punishment excludes any possibility of rehabilitation and renunciation of previous convictions. There have been no executions in Kenya since 1987.
MacKenzie's 28 accomplices included the guards who enforced his starvation orders and the people who bury the victims' bodies in mass graves. They received different sentences, up to 160 years.
Before the trial began on Friday morning, Francis Wanje, who lost eight relatives (including two grandchildren) in the Shakahola forest, told the BBC's Newsday program he hoped for a "sentence that matches what he [McKenzie] did in the forest."
McKenzie and the other defendants asked the court for leniency. Before their guilty verdicts on October 19, they all pleaded not guilty and repeatedly insisted that no one was forced to die.
As the judge's speech suggests, Mackenzie's followers considered him "the mouthpiece of Jesus." Those who opposed Mackenzie's teachings were beaten to death.
According to one of Mackenzie's accomplices, he declared that anyone who "resisted the command to fast should be sent to heaven by kicks and blows."
Those who died in the sect were called “married to Jesus,” and burial was called “wedding to Christ.”
The judge concluded that the deaths were the result of an organized system involving religious dogmas and regulations that forced followers to observe death fasts.
The Shakakhol tragedy has drawn attention to the lack of control over the activities of questionable religious groups, which is why they are able to survive for so long.
The gravity of the situation prompted President William Ruto to set up a commission of inquiry, but it was later ruled unconstitutional.
An investigation by the government-funded Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) found that local governments and law enforcement agencies repeatedly turned a blind eye to the cult's activities.
“We expected the police to immediately take action and save the rest of the people there, but that didn’t happen,” said Vanje, who contacted the police in March 2023.
According to Vanje, his grandson was saved thanks to the help of a relative who served in the police and a former member of the sect. The child told the police about what happened and showed them the graves of his brothers and sisters.
“It was supposed to be his last day... they were going to kill my grandson,” he said.
The sect leader had previously been arrested, but was subsequently released due to lack of evidence.
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McKenzie founded the religious organization Good News International Ministries in 2003. Over the next 16 years, the church grew in popularity and attracted thousands of followers, opening branches throughout Kenya.
The church operated Times TV, which broadcast McKenzie's sermons from his church in Malindi.
His “end of the world” sermons contained conspiracy theories, declaring education “evil,” health care “contrary to doctrine,” and digital IDs “the mark of the devil.”
In 2019, the main church ceased operations and McKenzie moved to Shakahola Forest, calling on his followers to follow him. More than 400 bodies were later found in the forest. Only 191 victims were convicted.
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