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[CRIME] · Kenya · 32 sources

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Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years for Kenyan cult murders FAST-MOVING

A Kenyan High Court in Mombasa has sentenced Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult. Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache issued the sentence, which consists of 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years for direct homicide.

The convictions stem from a doomsday cult that operated in the Shakahola Forest near Malindi. Mackenzie instructed followers to starve themselves and their children to meet Jesus before an impending apocalypse. The court found that the fasting was enforced through a hierarchy of death involving religious indoctrination, intimidation, and physical violence by guards.

Alongside Mackenzie, 28 accomplices, including guards and gravediggers, received various prison terms, with some sentences reaching up to 160 years. While this ruling addresses 191 specific deaths, authorities have exhumed more than 400 bodies from the area since 2023. Mackenzie still faces separate legal proceedings regarding charges of terrorism, radicalization, and child cruelty.

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Diana Kavedza · Diana Kavedza Mochache · Good News International Church · Good News International Ministries · Mombasa High Court · Paul Mackenzie · Shakahola Forest

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