Court Explains Why Paul Mackenzie Will Serve 200 Years in Prison Over Shakahola Deaths

Doomsday preacher Paul Mackenzie will spend a lengthy period behind bars after the High Court in Mombasa sentenced him to 200 years in prison over the deaths of followers linked to the Shakahola Massacre.

Justice Diana Kavedza delivered the sentence on Friday, November 6, after Mackenzie was convicted on multiple murder charges involving victims who died through starvation and direct killing.

The court imposed 100 years on each of the 103 murder-by-starvation counts, covering one adult and 102 children. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Mackenzie also received 100 years on each of eight additional counts involving the direct murder of children. Those terms will also run concurrently.

However, the two groups of sentences will run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 200 years.

Two other convicts, Smart Deri Mwakalama and Stephen Sangamuya, were each sentenced to an aggregate of 160 years under a similar arrangement.

The court also handed varying prison terms to 25 other convicts linked to the case.

Although Justice Kavedza acknowledged the exceptional gravity of the offences, she declined to impose the death penalty on any of the accused.

She observed that the crimes met the threshold for capital punishment but said the court would not issue such a sentence in the proceedings.

The Shakahola tragedy came to light in March 2023 after investigators discovered mass graves in a forested area in Kilifi County.

Investigations established that followers of Mackenzie’s Good News International Church had been encouraged to starve themselves in what was presented as a religious practice. Some victims were also found to have died through direct acts of violence.

The victims included a large number of children, making the case one of the country’s most disturbing criminal investigations.

The latest ruling brings a major sentencing milestone in the prosecution of those implicated in the deaths.

https://www.tuko.co.ke/kenya/counties/645900-pastor-paul-mackenzie-sentenced-200-years-shakahola-massacre/

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