Kenyan cult leader sentenced to 200 years in prison over the deaths of 190 children
By Nimi Princewill ·
A Kenyan cult leader has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for the murder of 191 people, all but one of them children, in a campaign of abuse and forced fasting.
Paul Mackenzie, founder of the Good News International Church, was sentenced Friday alongside more than two dozen others at the Mombasa High Court.
Mackenzie’s sentencing comprised of 100 years’ imprisonment for the murder of those who starved and 100 years for those who died by direct homicide.
He had persuaded followers to abandon their homes and move to Shakahola Forest, in eastern Kenya, promising that fasting there would bring them closer to God and prepare them for heaven.
The court found that religious teachings were used to enforce the fast. Guards controlled followers’ movements and prevented them from leaving. Those who resisted were forced to comply, while children were restrained, denied food and punished when they tried to eat or escape.
Mackenzie’s teachings were largely based on doomsday and end-times beliefs, a Kenyan Senate report into the deaths found. He preached that the world would end in August 2023, and followers were told to fast to “meet Jesus,” with children scheduled to die first, followed by young people and women. Men were expected to stay alive long enough to bury the bodies before dying.
Mackenzie was convicted of murder last month. In her ruling, Lady Justice Diana Kavedza described how he used sermons and written materials to convince followers that the outside world was evil and that salvation could only be found in the forest. Messages extracted from his phone, including WhatsApp exchanges, showed that he had communicated with followers before they’d moved to Shakahola Forest.
This is a developing story and has been updated.
Originally published by CNN