The leader of a religious sect in Kenya, Paul Mackenzie, has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for the deaths of 191 people, almost all of them children. They were forced to fast to death. The sentence was handed down on Friday by the High Court in Mombasa. This is one of the most shocking cases of religious abuse in the country.
Mackenzie, founder of the Good News International Church, was sentenced along with more than two dozen other people involved in the case. His sentence consists of 100 years in prison for the deaths caused by starvation. He also received another 100 years for the people who lost their lives as a result of direct killings. Mackenzie had been found guilty of murder last month.
According to the court’s ruling, Mackenzie had persuaded his followers to leave their homes. He had urged them to move to the Shakahola forest, east of Kenya. The promise was that through fasting they would draw closer to God and prepare for paradise. Investigations found that religious sermons were used to impose fasting. Guards monitored the followers’ movements and prevented them from leaving. Children were denied food and punished if they tried to eat or escape.
Judge Diana Kavedza explained in her ruling that Mackenzie had used sermons and written materials. He convinced his followers that the outside world was evil. According to him, salvation could be found only in the Shakahola forest. Evidence obtained from his phone, including WhatsApp communications, showed that Mackenzie had been in contact with followers before they moved to the forest. This proved his involvement in organizing the scheme.
According to a report by the Kenyan Senate, Mackenzie’s teachings were based on beliefs about the end of the world. He had preached that the world would end in August 2023. He had told followers to fast in order to “meet Jesus”. According to these sermons, the children were to die first. Then the young people and women would die. The men were expected to stay alive long enough to bury the bodies before they too died.
Paul Mackenzie and the Shakahola forest case
The Shakahola forest case has shocked Kenya. It has exposed the abuse of religious faith to impose fasting to death. The sentencing of Mackenzie and dozens of his accomplices is one of the harshest rulings ever handed down to a sect leader in the country.
The High Court in Mombasa imposed a 200-year prison sentence on Mackenzie. Proceedings against the other accused continue. So far, Kenyan authorities have not said whether the ruling will be appealed.