Sentenced to 200 years in prison for the homicide of 191 people

Paul Mackenzie, a Kenyan pastor linked to the deaths of over 400 people, was sentenced to 200 years in prison for the murder of 191 individuals, including 190 children. The High Court in Mombasa found him guilty after he instructed his followers to starve themselves to meet Jesus. Judge Diana Kavedza emphasized Mackenzie's primary criminal responsibility for relocating his followers to a remote area and ordering them to fast until death. Alongside Mackenzie, 28 others were charged, including guards and gravediggers who enforced his fasting orders and concealed mass graves. All defendants denied the charges, except one who confessed and sought leniency. In 2023, over 400 bodies were exhumed from mass graves at Chakama Ranch, where Mackenzie's followers lived isolated from local scrutiny.