Kenyan cult leader faces death sentence over child murders

The leader of a Kenyan starvation cult found guilty of murdering 190 children faces a possible death penalty as he is sentenced on Friday.

Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the sect's base near the coastal resort of Malindi, in what became known as the "Shakahola Forest Massacre".

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie was accused of inciting his followers to starve themselves to death to "meet Jesus".

Last month, he was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult between January 2021 and September 2023, alongside 28 co-accused. His lawyer said he would appeal.

He also faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions this week urged the court to sentence Mackenzie to death, citing the scale of the loss of life and the danger posed by his actions.

"The prosecution supports the imposition of capital punishment for Mackenzie, subject to consideration of his mitigation, remorse, regret and prospects of rehabilitation," Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina said.

Although Kenya's law provides for the death penalty, the country has not carried out an execution since 1987.

Prosecutors also asked the court to sentence Mackenzie's co-accused to life imprisonment, arguing they had "been deeply indoctrinated by Mackenzie and were at risk of reoffending".

Around 120 prosecution witnesses testified during the trial.

According to witnesses, the movement denounced formal education as "satanic", viewed modern medicine and hospitals as instruments of the devil and required followers to cut themselves off from the outside world.

Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, was arrested in April 2023 after a rights group alerted authorities and some followers were rescued from the 325-hectare (800-acre) ranch in the Shakahola forest on Kenya's coast.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the death toll at 429 in 2024. Some victims remain unidentified.

The case has fuelled calls for tighter regulation of religious organisations, after it emerged that Mackenzie had previously been arrested twice but released.

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