A Kenyan preacher whose followers died after being persuaded to starve themselves in the name of religion has been sentenced to 200 years in prison, in one of the country’s most shocking cases of religious extremism.
Paul Mackenzie received the sentence on Friday for offences linked to the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, at his sect’s base in Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi.
The court imposed 100 years for homicide offences and another 100 years for starvation-related crimes committed between January 2021 and September 2023. His 28 co-accused also received lengthy prison terms.
Prosecutors said Mackenzie convinced members of his congregation that refusing food would bring them closer to Jesus, turning the sect’s 325-hectare forest settlement into a death camp. The scandal became known as the Shakahola Forest Massacre after mass graves were discovered in 2023.
The scale of the tragedy, however, extended beyond the 191 deaths covered by the latest conviction. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the overall death toll at 429 in 2024, with some victims yet to be identified.
Testimonies from about 120 prosecution witnesses exposed how the sect allegedly isolated its followers from society, discouraged formal education as satanic, rejected modern medicine and hospitals, and imposed extreme religious practices.
Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after a rights group alerted authorities, leading to the rescue of some followers from the forest compound. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, citing the magnitude of the killings and the danger posed by his activities.
The sentencing has also raised questions about the failure of authorities to stop the preacher earlier, particularly as he had reportedly been arrested twice before the massacre was uncovered. He faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies.
Mackenzie’s lawyer has indicated that he will appeal the conviction, while one victim’s relative, Francis Wanje, who lost two grandchildren, told AFP that no punishment could erase the family’s pain. He said the deaths could have been prevented if authorities had acted sooner.
The case has renewed calls in Kenya for tighter regulation and monitoring of religious organisations to prevent extremist teachings from being used to manipulate followers and expose vulnerable people to life-threatening practices.
