Photo credit, Reuters
A Kenyan court has sentenced doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murder of 191 people, all but one child.
Along with 27 others, Mackenzie was convicted of the murders for ordering members of his sect to starve their children so they could "meet Jesus."
Judge Diana Mochache said Mackenzie bore “primary criminal responsibility” for ordering his followers to fast to death, in one of Kenya's deadliest episodes of religious extremism.
“This sentence is appropriate and just; it sends an unequivocal message: such atrocities deserve the maximum penalties provided for by law,” added the judge.
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This self-proclaimed pastor was arrested in 2023 after the discovery of more than 400 bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest, near the Kenyan coast. The massive investigation into the cases shocked Kenya and attracted international attention.
Prior to the sentencing, prosecutors at the Mombasa court had requested the death penalty against Mackenzie due to the seriousness of the crimes.
Prosecutors also cited what they described as Mackenzie's lack of remorse for the crimes committed. They requested life imprisonment for his co-defendants.
Before the hearing began on Friday morning, Francis Wanje, who lost eight loved ones in the Shakahola Forest, including two grandchildren, told the BBC's Newsday program that he was "hoping... for a sentence commensurate with the actions Mackenzie committed in the forest".
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Mackenzie and his co-defendants formally pleaded for leniency and asked the court for leniency.
Before their sentencing on October 19, they all pleaded not guilty and repeatedly insisted that no one was forced to die.
Mackenzie's followers believed he was "the spokesperson for Jesus", Justice Diana Mochache said during her eight-hour sentencing last month.
Those who opposed Mackenzie's teachings were beaten to death.
One of his co-defendants said he told his disciples that anyone "resisting the order to fast should be forced to go to heaven by kicking and punching."
Burials inside the forest where the sect was established were called "weddings" and those who died "were celebrated as having married Jesus", the judge said.
The judge concluded that the deaths were the result of an organized system, including religious teachings and directives that required followers to follow this deadly fast.
Autopsy results showed that the cause of death was starvation for most of the victims, while others died from suffocation, strangulation or head injuries.
For some, the cause of death could not be determined as their bodies were decomposed, while others died shortly after their rescue because they were so emaciated.
Photo credit, AFP via Getty Images
The Shakahola-related deaths have highlighted the lack of control over deviant religious activities and how they have been allowed to continue for so long.
The seriousness of the matter prompted President William Ruto to set up a commission of inquiry, although it was later declared unconstitutional.
Investigations by the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) found that local administration and law enforcement had repeatedly turned a blind eye to the cult's activities.
“At that time, we thought the police would immediately intervene to rescue the other members present, but that did not happen,” says Wanje, who filed a police complaint in March 2023.
Wanje says that one of his relatives, a police officer and former member of a sect, managed to save his grandson at the time. The child told the police what had happened and showed them the grave of his siblings.
“It was his last day… they [would have killed] my grandson. »
The leader of the sect had already been arrested and then released for lack of evidence.
Mackenzie founded Good News International Ministries in 2003.
Over the next 16 years, the church grew in popularity, attracting thousands of followers to its branches across Kenya.
The church ran a television channel called Times TV which broadcast its sermons from its church in Malindi.
His End Times sermons included conspiracy theories that described education as "evil," health care as "contrary to doctrine," and digital ID cards as "the mark of the devil."
The main church closed in 2019 and Mackenzie moved to Shakahola Forest, encouraging his followers to follow him.
Although the conclusion of the murder cases may bring a sense of justice to the victims and their families, the convictions only concern 191 victims, while more than 400 bodies have been exhumed from the forest.
Mackenzie and other leaders of the sect are also being prosecuted in numerous other cases, including terrorism, radicalization and deprivation of children's education.
We used AI to help translate this article, originally written in English. A BBC journalist checked the translation before publication. Learn more about how we use AI.
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