Kenyan pastor gets 200 years for cult killings
A Mombasa court convicted Paul Mackenzie of ordering followers to starve themselves, a move that left 191 people dead.
By Nathan Reed ·
A Kenyan court has sentenced the head of a doomsday cult to 200 years in prison for the deaths of 191 people. The verdict, issued by the High Court in Mombasa on Friday, marks the end of a legal process that began after investigators uncovered mass graves on a remote ranch in coastal Kilifi County.
The judge, Diana Kavedza, assigned primary criminal culpability to Pastor Paul Mackenzie. She determined that he moved his congregation to an isolated location and instructed them to fast until they died so they could meet Jesus. The ruling addresses the specific deaths of 190 children and one adult.
Mackenzie led the Good News International Church, where followers lived in mud huts on the 800-acre Chakama Ranch. The site allowed the group to operate away from local scrutiny for years. In 2023, workers exhumed more than 400 bodies from shallow graves on the property.
The trial involved 29 defendants, including Mackenzie and 28 followers. Among the accused were guards who enforced the fasting rules and gravediggers who helped hide the bodies. All defendants denied the charges, with one exception who confessed and asked for a reduced sentence.
The court found all 29 individuals guilty of murder on Oct. 19. This Friday's sentencing focused on the leader, who now faces a term of 200 years behind bars for the mass starvation he orchestrated.
