Kenyan Pastor Sentenced to 200 Years for Cult Mass Murders

Pastor Paul Mackenzie, the head of the Good News International Church, received a 200-year prison sentence on Friday in Mombasa, Kenya. The High Court judge found him guilty of murdering 191 people, including 190 children and one adult. The verdict concludes the first phase of a trial that involves more than 400 victims associated with the group.

The case traces back to 2023, when investigators uncovered shallow graves at Chakama Ranch in coastal Kilifi County. The ranch covered 800 acres where Mackenzie's followers lived in mud huts. Officials exhumed more than 400 bodies from the site. Relatives identified and reburied more than 60 of the victims, leaving many others unclaimed.

Mackenzie had ordered his congregation to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus. Justice Diana Kavedza stated that Mackenzie bore primary criminal culpability for moving the followers to the remote location and directing them to fast. The court classified 183 deaths as starvation and the other eight as direct homicides.

Alongside Mackenzie, 28 followers faced the same murder charges. The group included guards who enforced the fasting rules and gravediggers who helped hide the mass graves. All 29 defendants were found guilty on Oct. 19. One defendant confessed and asked for leniency, while the rest denied the charges.

Smart Mwakalama, Mackenzie's assistant pastor, received a 160-year sentence. During the hearing, Mackenzie frequently smiled and spoke with Mwakalama. Kavedza described the killings as cold and calculated, noting that the defendants showed little remorse.

Mackenzie now faces additional charges of terrorism and manslaughter for more than 200 other victims. He also stands accused of child abuse and torture in two separate courts. The prosecution originally sought the death penalty for Mackenzie and life sentences for his accomplices.

Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo said he has already filed an appeal. He argued that the sentences are effectively life terms because the defendants are serving time between 160 and 200 years. All convicted individuals have 14 days to submit their appeals.