Kenya court sentence pastor wey kpai 190 children to 200 years in prison

Paul Mackenzie, di self-proclaimed pastor wey authorities find guilty say e lead one doomsday cult for Kenya wey lead to di death of more dan 400 pipo don chop 200 years prison sentence.

Dis na di court judgement on Friday, 6 November.

Na for October 2026 court find Mackenzie and 27 of im associates guilty of murdering 191 pipo, and almost all di victims na children except one wey be adult, afta dem encourage dia followers to starve demsefs to death in order to meet Jesus.

Today court hear di final step for inside one murder trial wey shock and horrify many pipo for di East Africa kontri.

Mackenzie bin lead hundreds of devotees of im cult enta inside di remote Shakahola Forest for di kontri coastal region and convince dem to starve demsefs to reach heaven.

For im trial, court hear say e order di killing of dos wey no gree.

Na for March 2023, police bin launch one investigation afta dem discover one mass graves wia dem later see more dan 400 bodies.

Ahead of im sentencing, Mackenzie lawyers argue say e don change for prison, but prosecutors for di court for Mombasa want make dem sama as di death penalty sake of di gravity of di crimes.

Di prosecutors also cite wetin dem describe as Mackenzie lack of remorse for di crimes.

Dem dey demand life sentences for im co-accused.

Mackenzie and di co-accused don formally plead for mercy and don ask for leniency from di court.

Bifor dia conviction on 19 October, all of dem bin plead not guilty and repeatedly insist say dem no force anybody to die.

Mackenzie followers believe say e be "Jesus's mouthpiece", Justice Diana Mochache tok as she delivere her eight-hour judgement last month.

Dem dey beat to death anybody wey kick against Mackenzie teaching.

One of im di pesin wey dem togeda chop accuse say e tell im followers say anyone wey "resist im order to fast must dey forced to go to heaven through kicks and blows".

Dem dey call burials inside di forest wia di cult dey based "weddings" and dem dey see dos wey die "say dem don marry Jesus" di judge tok.

Di judge see say di deaths na from one organised system, wey include religious teachings and directives wey bin force followers to follow di deadly fasting.

Post-mortem results bin show di cause of deaths to be starvation for most victims, while odas die from suffocation, strangulation or head injuries.

Dem no fit determine di cause of death for some, as dia bodies don decompose, while odas die as soon as dem rescue dem as de don too suffer.

How Paul Mackenzie land for court

Kenyan court deliver judgement for di mass murder case wey involve di doomsday preacher Paul Mackenzie.

Mackenzie and 29 of im followers chop accuse for di murder of 191 children.

Im cult chop accuse say dem force children to starve to death so dem go fit "meet Jesus". Im doomsday doctrine say education bin dey forbidden and modern medicine bin dey considered as "evil".

Mackenzie and di 29 odas don plead not guilty to murder, and dem repeatedly insist say dem no force anybodi to kpai.

Mackenzie former head of security, Enos Amanya Ngala, bin initially chop accuse but e enta plea deal and become witness for di prosecution.

Mackenzie and oda leaders of di cult dey face oda legal cases, including alleged terrorism, extreme religious belief and say e dey deny education to children.

But dis na di first time di pastor go face a verdict on di most serious charges of murder.

Authorities say dem find 400 bodis for shallow graves for Shakahola forest near di Kenyan coast, wia Mackenzie bin lead im followers from across di kontri.

Seventeen men bin dey hired from di nearby town for di horrifying task of digging up di shallow graves. Some receive payment of just $8 (£6) a day.

"Evri grave we find get at least three bodis," James, one of di gravediggers, tell di BBC. "Some of di remains na of children as young as a few weeks old."

"We once find 12 bodis of children for one line inside one grave. E bin dey massive, di bodis bin dey arranged like clothes. One ontop of anoda."

Gravediggers say bodis of some of di children wey dem find, "dia hands and legs bin dey tied and dia bodis bin dey wrapped in bedsheets".

Although many of Mackenzie followers bin come from anoda area for Kenya, some of di dead bodis na pipo wey di community pipo sabi sake of say di cult pipo dey go di nearby Shakahola town for supplies and to fetch water from di River Galana wey dey pass through di town.