Kenya: Sentencing of cult leader Mackenzie draws mixed reactions

Kenyans reacted differently to the sentencing of the leader of a doomdsday cult linked to the deaths of more than 400 people.

Some called the prison term of 200 years for Paul Mackenzie fair, while others said it did not go far enough.

A father of seven, Suleiman Ziro, who traveled 120 kilometers (75 miles) for the sentencing, lost six of his children and his wife to the cult in 2023.

He said that the sentence wasn't enough especially because he has yet to recover the bodies of his loved ones, calling for the death penalty in the case.

"I would say today's outcome is good. However, where is a good outcome for me? Of importance to me is to know where my family members disappeared," Ziro said.

The prosecution had argued for the death penalty for Mackenzie and life imprisonment for his accomplices.

But Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo disagreed, saying that he had already launched an appeal.

In 2023, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on the 800-acre (320-hectare) Chakama Ranch in coastal Kilifi County, where Mackenzie’s followers lived in mud huts, away from the scrutiny of local communities and authorities.

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