A court in Mombasa, Kenya, has sentenced cult leader Paul Mackenzie, to 200 years in prison for the murder of 191 people, most of whom were children.
Mackenzie, along with 28 others, was found guilty of instructing cult members to starve their children to death to “meet Jesus.”
Justice Diana Mochache emphasized Mackenzie’s “primary criminal culpability” for directing his followers to fast to death, marking one of the deadliest cult activities worldwide.
“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-proclaimed pastor was taken into custody in 2023 following the grim discovery of over 400 bodies in shallow graves within Shakahola forest, located near Kenya’s coast.
Mackenzie received a 100-year prison sentence for homicide and an additional 100 years for crimes associated with starvation.
While the sentences for each category will be served concurrently, the two categories will be served consecutively, resulting in a total prison term of 200 years.
