Paul Mackenzie Sentenced to 200 Years in Kenya

Paul Mackenzie was sentenced Friday to 200 years in prison for the murders of 191 people in Kenya’s Shakahola Forest, the Mombasa High Court’s judgment dividing the term between deaths by starvation and direct homicide. Mackenzie received 100 years for the deaths of people who starved and 100 years for those killed by direct homicide, according to the sentencing account. The ruling followed his conviction last month for murder. More than two dozen other defendants were sentenced alongside him, but the reports do not specify their sentences. Before sentencing, prosecutors had urged the court to impose the death penalty on Mackenzie, subject to consideration of mitigation, remorse and prospects of rehabilitation. That was the prosecution’s request, not the sentence imposed. Mackenzie’s lawyer had said he would appeal his conviction; the reports do not establish an appeal outcome. The case concerns deaths at Shakahola Forest, where Mackenzie, founder of the Good News International Church, persuaded followers to leave their homes and fast, according to the court’s findings. The court found that religious teachings were used to enforce the fast, with guards controlling movement and...