Kenyan Pastor Paul Mackenzie Sentenced to 200 Years

Pastor Paul Mackenzie, the spiritual leader of the Good News International Church, received a 200 year prison sentence on Friday for the murder of 191 people. The High Court in Mombasa, Kenya, delivered the verdict for the man who ordered his congregation to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus.

The court determined that 183 of the victims died from complete starvation. Justice Diana Kavedza classified the remaining eight deaths as direct homicides. Mackenzie faces additional charges in two other courts, including terrorism, manslaughter, child abuse, and torture.

Mackenzie was tried alongside 28 other followers, including guards who enforced the fasting rules and gravediggers who hid the bodies. All 29 defendants were found guilty on October 19. While every accused person denied the charges, one individual confessed and asked the court for leniency.

The crimes took place at Chakama Ranch in Kilifi County. The site covers 800 acres, where followers lived in mud huts far from local communities. In 2023, investigators exhumed more than 400 bodies from shallow graves on the property. More than 60 of those remains have been identified and reburied by relatives. The rest remain unclaimed.

Kavedza stated that Mackenzie bore primary criminal responsibility for moving the group to the remote location. She described the killings as cold and calculated. The judge rejected arguments from some defendants who claimed that losing their own children changed their involvement in the deaths of others.

During the sentencing, Mackenzie smiled and conversed with his assistant pastor, Smart Mwakalama. Mwakalama received a 160 year sentence. Kavedza noted that the perpetrators showed no remorse and declared their readiness to fast to death.

Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo represents Mackenzie and several other convicted followers. He filed an appeal immediately after the verdict. Obonyo argued that the sentences are unattainable because they effectively amount to life imprisonment. He criticized the ruling for circling around the constitution to impose a punishment that cannot be fully served.

Suleiman Ziro, a father of seven, traveled 120 kilometers to Mombasa for the hearing. He lost his wife and six children to the cult in 2023. Ziro said the sentence was insufficient because he has not yet recovered the bodies of his family members. He called for the death penalty, which the prosecution originally sought.

Dan Mackenzie, the pastor's son, said he felt sorry for his father but viewed the verdict as justice for the victims. Dan escaped the cult by rebelling against his father's teachings and enduring punishment for it. His two younger brothers and three sisters were rescued and currently live in a children's home.

The 29 convicted individuals have 14 days to file appeals. In Kenya, those sentenced to death serve life sentences. The country has not carried out an execution since 1987.