On Friday, 6 November, a court in Kenya sentenced the leader of a religious sect, Paul Mackenzie, to 200 years in prison for the murder of 190 children. Investigators say he ordered his followers to starve children to death and to bury their bodies in the forest.
Judge Diana Kavedza handed Mackenzie 100 years in prison for killing by starvation and a further 100 years for direct murder.
The trial examined the cases of 190 children and one adult. Mackenzie denied the charges, claiming he did not force people to starve. However, the court rejected his arguments.
According to prosecutors, Mackenzie led an apocalyptic Christian church in a forest near Kenya’s eastern coast. He persuaded followers to starve themselves along with their children in order to reach heaven before the end of the world. His associates threatened and beat people, forcing them to carry out his orders.
The bodies of the dead were found in shallow graves and latrine pits. Some people were buried alive.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, a total of 448 bodies were found in the forest. In addition, Mackenzie is accused of involvement in the murder of another 52 people whose bodies were found elsewhere — in a village about 30 kilometres from the Shakahola forest. In that case, too, he has pleaded not guilty. As a result, the total number of potential victims could reach 500.
Mackenzie had been on law enforcement’s radar since 2017, when police searched his premises. In 2019, the authorities shut down his church in the town of Malindi, after which he moved to the neighbouring Shakahola forest.