A Kenyan court has sentenced the leader of a doomsday cult, Paul Mackenzie, to 200 years in prison for murdering 191 people, all but one of them children
Alongside 28 others, Mackenzie was found guilty of the murders for instructing members of his cult to starve their children to death so they could “meet Jesus”.
Justice Diana Mochache said Mackenzie bore the “primary criminal culpability” for ordering his followers to fast to death, in one of the world’s deadliest episodes of cult activity.
“The sentence is appropriate and just, to send an unmistakable message that such atrocities warrant the maximum penalties allowed by law,” the judge added.
The self-styled pastor was arrested in 2023 after the discovery of more than 400 bodies in shallow graves in Shakahola forest near the Kenyan coast. The sprawling investigation into the cases shocked Kenya and drew international attention.
The court sentenced Mackenzie to 100 years in prison for homicide and another 100 years for offences related to starvation.
The sentences within each category will run concurrently, but the two sets will run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 200 years.
Mackenzie also faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies.——
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