By Basant El-Faramawy
Kenyan doomsday cult leader Pastor Paul Mackenzie was sentenced on Friday to 200 years in prison for the murders of 191 people, including 190 children, at the High Court in the coastal city of Mombasa.
Sentencing and Charges
Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, was convicted of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus. He also faces terrorism, manslaughter, child abuse and torture charges for more than 200 additional victims in two other courts. Twenty-eight of his followers, including guards who enforced fasting directives and gravediggers who concealed mass graves, were tried alongside him. All denied the charges except one who confessed and pleaded for leniency.
Mass Graves and Exhumations
In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on the 800-acre Chakama Ranch in Kilifi County, where Mackenzie’s followers lived in mud huts away from authorities. Over 60 bodies were identified and reburied by relatives, while many remain unidentified and unclaimed.
Court Findings and Sentences
Justice Diana Kavedza said Mackenzie bore the “primary criminal culpability” for relocating followers to the remote ranch and ordering them to fast to death. The court found that 183 victims died of starvation and eight were killed by direct homicide, describing the killings as “cold and calculated.” The perpetrators showed no remorse, declaring they were ready to fast to death as well. Assistant pastor Smart Mwakalama was sentenced to 160 years in prison.
Appeals and Family Reactions
Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo has filed an appeal, arguing that sentences of 160 to 200 years amount to unattainable life sentences. Suleiman Ziro, who lost six children and his wife, said the sentence was insufficient and called for the death penalty. Mackenzie’s son, Dan Mackenzie, said he felt sorry for his father but considered it “justice served to the victims,” noting he had escaped by rebelling against his father’s teachings.
Ongoing Concerns
Families of the murdered children fear Mackenzie could continue spreading his message from prison. Stephen Mwiti, who lost all six children in the Shakahola Forest tragedy, expressed worry about the harm Mackenzie might still cause. Kenya’s last execution was in 1987, and those sentenced to death serve life imprisonment.
