Kenyan court sentences cult leader Paul Mackenzie to 200 years for murder of 190 children

A Kenyan court sentenced cult leader Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the starvation murder of 190 children and one adult. The case emerged after 448 bodies were found in the Shakahola forest in 2023.

A Kenyan court sentenced Paul Mackenzie, leader of a cult who instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children to death in order to reach paradise, to 200 years in prison. Mackenzie was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult. The prosecution sought the death penalty, but the judge ruled that such a punishment would not deter convicts who view death as a path to heaven. The sentence consists of 100 years for starvation murder and 100 years for direct killing. His 28 accomplices received sentences of 10 to 160 years. The case came to light in April 2023, when 448 bodies were found in the Shakahola forest. The judge stated that state institutions had failed. Kenyan President William Ruto said in 2023 that he takes responsibility for the government's failure to prevent the deaths.