Kenya: Fake pastor faces death penalty over Shakahola massacre

Paul Mackenzie, a former pastor found guilty last month, is due to be sentenced in Kenya on Friday. He is accused of urging followers to fast to death to “meet Jesus,” causing the deaths of 190 children and one adult between January 2021 and September 2023. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Mackenzie and life imprisonment for 28 other defendants, whom they describe as deeply indoctrinated and at risk of reoffending. Arrested in April 2023, Mackenzie led a sect in the Shakahola Forest, where followers were rescued; a Kenyan commission counted 429 victims in 2024.