Kenyan starvation cult leader sentenced to 200 years for child murders

A Kenyan court has sentenced self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for his role in the murder of 191 people, mostly children, at his starvation cult. Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, was accused of inciting his followers to starve themselves to death to "meet Jesus". The court heard that hundreds of bodies were discovered at the sect's base near the coastal resort of Malindi, in what became known as the "Shakahola Forest Massacre".

Mackenzie was convicted last month of murdering 191 people between January 2021 and September 2023, alongside 28 co-accused. The court sentenced him to 100 years for the homicide charges and 100 years for the starvation charges. His accomplices, many of whom starved their own children to death, received a variety of lengthy prison terms. The judge described the conditions at the sect's base as "terrifying living conditions, psychological trauma".

Prosecutors had called for the death penalty, but the judge said it would "fail to achieve deterrence, particularly where the convicts regard death as a pathway to heaven and a union with Jesus and their deceased children". Kenya has the death penalty but has not carried out an execution since 1987. Mackenzie's lawyer said he would appeal the verdict.

The case has fuelled calls for tighter regulation of religious organisations, after it emerged that Mackenzie had previously been arrested twice but released. He established the Good News International Church in 2003 and set up branches in Nairobi and along Kenya's coast that attracted thousands of devotees, though he claimed it closed in 2019.

According to witnesses, the movement denounced formal education as "satanic", viewed modern medicine and hospitals as instruments of the devil and required followers to cut themselves off from the outside world. Around 120 prosecution witnesses testified during the trial. Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after a rights group alerted authorities and some followers were rescued from the 325-hectare ranch in the Shakahola forest on Kenya's coast.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the death toll at 429 in 2024, with some victims remaining unidentified. Francis Wanje, a 62-year-old teacher who lost two grandchildren to the cult, expressed anger towards the authorities for failing to act swiftly. "Nothing can ease the pain," said Wanje, who blamed authorities for failing to act swiftly.

Mackenzie also faces manslaughter and terrorism charges in other trials, which he denies. His lawyer said he would appeal the verdict. The case has raised questions about the regulation of religious organisations in Kenya and the need for greater oversight to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

Key points

• Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years in prison for murdering 191 people in starvation cult.
• The case has fuelled calls for tighter regulation of religious organisations in Kenya.
• The death toll from the cult is estimated to be 429, with some victims remaining unidentified.