A self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher was sentenced to 200 years in prison on Friday for the murder of 190 children and one adult in an infamous starvation cult.
The case has fuelled calls for tighter regulation of religious organisations, after it emerged that Mackenzie had previously been arrested twice but released. Last month, he was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult between January 2021 and September 2023, alongside 28 co-accused. On Friday, the court sentenced him to 100 years for the homicide charges and 100 years for the starvation charges. Around 120 prosecution witnesses testified during the trial. Mackenzie 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.
His lawyer said he would appeal. 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”. The former taxi driver appeared indifferent as he arrived in court on Friday, wearing a polo shirt and sporting a faint smile.
