Kenyan doomsday cult leader given life sentence for murdering 191 people
Summary
A Kenyan court sentenced doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie to life in prison for murders linked to the deaths of 191 people, all but one of them children. Mackenzie and 27 co-defendants were convicted after prosecutors said he directed followers to starve their children as part of religious teachings.Key Facts
- The court found Mackenzie and 27 others guilty on 19 October.
- Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Mackenzie and life sentences for his co-defendants.
- Authorities arrested Mackenzie in 2023 after more than 400 bodies were found in shallow graves in Shakahola forest.
- Post-mortem results attributed most deaths to starvation; others died from suffocation, strangulation, or head injuries.
- Judge Diana Mochache said the deaths resulted from an organised system of religious teachings and directives.
- A state human rights commission found that local officials and law enforcement had repeatedly failed to act on the cult's activities.
- President William Ruto established a commission of inquiry into the deaths, but it was later declared unconstitutional.
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