What we know
What we know: Leader of Kenyan doomsday cult sentenced to 200 years in prison
Compiled Nov 6
What we know
- Pastor Paul Mackenzie was sentenced to 200 years in prison by Kenya's High Court in Mombasa
- He was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult, totaling 191 people
- Mackenzie ordered his followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus
- He was leader of the Good News International Church
- Mackenzie was charged alongside 28 followers, including guards and gravediggers
- All 29 accused were found guilty of the 191 murders on Oct. 19
What we don’t know yet
- One of the 29 accused confessed and pleaded for leniency, but the article does not specify what sentence this person received
Open questions
- What happened to the other bodies among the 400+ exhumed that were not part of the 191 murder convictions?
- What sentences did the other 28 convicted followers receive?
- Why did followers believe starving themselves would lead them to meet Jesus?
- What will happen to the Good News International Church now that its leader is imprisoned?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.