A religious leader in Kenya convicted of killing 190 children and one adult has been sentenced to 200 years in prison. Paul Mackenzie, who led the doomsday cult, ordered followers to starve themselves and their children, claiming they would reach heaven before the world ended.
The High Court in the coastal city of Mombasa handed down the sentence Friday, Nov. 6. Mackenzie received 100 years for murders caused by starvation and another 100 years for direct killings. The sentences will run consecutively. The ruling followed the Oct. 19 conviction of Mackenzie and 28 followers in one of Kenya’s deadliest cult-related tragedies.
Religious leader ordered followers to starve their children
Mackenzie led the Good News International Church, which taught that the world was nearing its end. Prosecutors said he instructed followers to stop eating and deny food to their children, promising they would reach heaven and meet Jesus. His accomplices threatened and beat those who resisted.
Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache said 183 victims died from starvation, while eight were directly murdered. Some children were deliberately denied food while their parents watched.
Kenyan Christian cult leader Paul Mackenzie and others linked to a doomsday sect have arrived at Mombasa Law for sentencing after being found guilty of the murders of 190 children and one adult last month. Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after authorities began uncovering… pic.twitter.com/A3SQ09jP5S
— TRT Afrika (@trtafrika) November 6, 2026
Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, also banned followers from sending children to school or seeking medical treatment. He described schools and hospitals as “satanic.”
More than 400 bodies discovered in Kenyan forest
The killings emerged in 2023 after police received reports that children had been starved to death in the Shakahola forest near Kenya’s southeastern coast. Investigators discovered hundreds of bodies buried in shallow graves. More than 400 bodies have since been recovered, many badly decomposed. Mackenzie denied forcing followers to starve, but the court rejected his defense.
The discoveries raised questions about why authorities had not stopped his activities earlier. Police investigated Mackenzie in 2017, and authorities closed his church in 2019. The case has renewed calls for stronger oversight of religious organizations. Debates over controlling religious groups have a long history, including ancient Rome’s suppression of the Bacchus cult.
Investigations continue into hundreds of deaths
The judgment covered 191 deaths, while investigations into more than 200 others continue. Mackenzie also faces separate terrorism charges, which he denies. Prosecutors have accused him of directing the deaths of another 52 people in Kwa Binzaro village while in detention. He has pleaded not guilty.
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