Kenyan Court Sentences Doomsday Cult Leader To 200 Years In Prison

A Kenyan courtroom has sentenced doomsday cult chief Paul Nthenge Mackenzie to 200 years in jail for the homicide of 191 individuals, together with 190 kids, within the Shakahola bloodbath.

The High Court in Mombasa handed down the sentence on Friday, November 6, 2026, after discovering Mackenzie liable for the deaths linked to his directions that followers starve themselves to loss of life to fulfill Jesus.

Justice Diana Kavedza imposed a 100-year jail time period for 183 murders by hunger and one other 100 years for eight instances of direct murder. The two phrases will run consecutively, bringing his complete sentence to 200 years.

The killings occurred at Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County, the place Mackenzie led the Good News International Church. Prosecutors mentioned he directed followers to quick, starting with kids, as a part of his apocalyptic spiritual teachings.

The courtroom had convicted Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants on October 19 on 191 counts of homicide. Evidence offered in the course of the trial confirmed that followers have been subjected to an organised system of pressured fasting, with guards allegedly stopping some from escaping.

The case got here to gentle in April 2023 after police started discovering our bodies in shallow graves within the forest. Authorities have since recovered greater than 400 our bodies from the world.

Prosecutors had urged the courtroom to impose the loss of life penalty on Mackenzie, citing the size of the killings.

Mackenzie additionally faces separate costs regarding different suspected deaths, in addition to terrorism and youngster abuse offences.