Shakahola’s Paul Mackenzie sentenced to one year in jail for operating studio without license

Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for operating a film studio and producing films without a valid license. Malindi Senior Resident Magistrate Olga Onalo also imposed an additional six-month jail term for showing the films to the public through Times TV without the required operating license. The sentences will run concurrently, but Mackenzie retains the right to appeal within 14 days.

This development follows a recommendation by the Probation Officer handling the case, who advised against granting Mackenzie the option of a fine. "In respect to count two, I hereby sentence the accused person to twelve months imprisonment while in respect to count three, the accused person’s explanation of not knowing the need for a license from the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) having obtained a broadcasting one is a reasonable though not entirely acceptable as ignorance of the law is no defense hence the resulting conviction and in light of the same, I sentence the accused to six months imprisonment," stated Onalo.

Mackenzie's offences carry a jail term not exceeding one year and an alternative fine not exceeding Sh100,000. The court-ordered probation report, presented in court, guided the sentencing based on a 2019 case involving Mackenzie's operation of a recording and TV studio without a valid license from KFCB.

The probation report by Assistant Director of Probation in Mombasa, Nick Makuu, revealed Mackenzie's previous conviction and fine for a similar offence in criminal case no. 182 of 2017. Additionally, Mackenzie was recently acquitted in CR 790/17 for charges related to activities in his church, such as radicalisation and operating an unregistered educational institution. The ODPP has applied to appeal out of time in this case.