A court in Kenya has sentenced on Friday to 200 years in prison the leader of a religious cult, Paul Mackenzie, for killing 190 children, who were ordered to die of starvation and were later buried in a forest.

The case is part of one of the most deadly mass killings associated with religious cults in modern times, where there are allegedly about 500 victims.

The sentence consists of 100 years in prison for murder through hunger and another 100 years for direct murder, Judge Diana Kavedza announced during reading the act.

The prosecution said that Mackenzie, who led a Christian apocalypse church in a forest off the Indian Ocean coast in the eastern part of Kenya, had called on his followers to die of hunger, along with their children, in order to reach paradise before the end of the world.

His associates allegedly threatened and beat the victims to ensure that they obeyed orders. The very ill – fed lifeless bodies were found in shallow graves and septic pits. Some of the victims were allegedly buried alive.

Mackenzie, dressed in a grey polo shirt and black pants, did not react during the pronunciation of the sentence, which was read in a tent erected outside the court where sessions were held.

He had denied charges of murder, claiming he had not forced victims to die of starvation. However, the court rejected his defense.

In the same process, 28 of his associates were sentenced to prison for between 10 and 160 years. All had been convicted during a trial last month.

The defence lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, who represents Mackenzie and almost all other convicts, said he would complain the verdict.

Judge Kavedza said Mackenzie had managed to gain the trust of the victims through his charismatic presentations in the media before exploiting vulnerable and vulnerable followers.

According to her, those who tried to stop fasting were forced to face physical violence.

The children watched their brothers and sisters die after experiencing days of starvation, the judge said.

Those who stole food or water were beaten, tied their hands, and locked up at home, transformed into fast rooms, where they were left to die, she added.

Source Layer: Dukeagini