By Valentine Omondi
Controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 others have been convicted of murdering 191 people, including 190 children, in the Shakahola massacre, marking a major development in one of Kenya’s most disturbing criminal cases.
The convictions were secured by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), led by Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga, following a trial at the High Court in Mombasa.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, 19 October 2026, Lady Justice Diana Kavedza found the accused persons guilty on the 191 murder counts arising from deaths reported between January 2021 and September 2023 at Shakahola in Malindi Sub-County, Kilifi County.
According to a statement from the ODPP, the court established that the deaths resulted from an organised system in which religious teachings, a structured hierarchy and deliberate enforcement of fasting directives contributed to the deaths of Mackenzie’s followers.
The court heard that the victims were subjected to a coordinated process of starvation, with children targeted first, while guards allegedly restricted movement and prevented followers from escaping.
Court Finds Organised System Behind Deaths
In her judgment, Justice Kavedza said the prosecution had established how Mackenzie’s religious network was used to direct followers from one stage to another until they were subjected to the deadly fasting practices.
“The evidence before me establishes precisely such a development. Mackenzie’s followers were first whipped through an established religious and communications network. They were subsequently directed to relocate. Once at the settlement, they were directed to fast,” Justice Kavedza ruled.
The court found that instructions to fast to death were communicated through village elders and reinforced during regular meetings within the settlement.
The prosecution presented evidence that the fasting was implemented in stages, beginning with children, while a structured system was allegedly used to enforce compliance.
Investigators also presented evidence that burial rites were conducted at unusual hours to avoid detection and that the settlement was divided into 12 villages to facilitate administration and enforcement of the directives.
The judge further found that Good News International Church, established by Mackenzie in 2010, operated as a cult.
According to the prosecution, Mackenzie preached the imminent end of the world, discouraged modern medicine and formal education, isolated followers from outsiders and promoted fasting as a means of entering heaven.
Witnesses told the court that children were restrained, denied food and punished for attempting to eat or escape. Some described witnessing the suffering and deaths of their siblings and other children.
The court considered testimony from witnesses alongside digital recordings, social media content, medical reports, DNA analysis, physical exhibits, journals belonging to deceased persons and expert evidence.
The ODPP said the prosecution relied on 123 witnesses, including child victims and adult accomplice witnesses, to establish the case against the accused.
Mass Graves Exposed Scale of Shakahola Tragedy
The conviction brings renewed attention to the events that shocked Kenya in 2023, when the discovery of bodies in Shakahola Forest exposed the scale of deaths associated with Mackenzie’s religious movement.
Before the discoveries attracted widespread public attention, Shakahola was largely known as a forested area within Chakama Ranch in Kilifi County.
In March 2023, reports emerged that two children had died after allegedly being subjected to fasting by their parents. Investigations followed, and the discovery of additional bodies and graves soon brought the area into the national spotlight.
By April 2023, the discoveries had developed into a major criminal investigation, with authorities investigating allegations that followers of Mackenzie’s church had starved themselves and their children in the belief that they would attain salvation.
As investigators expanded the search, more bodies were recovered from shallow graves and mass burial sites across the forest.
By 13 October 2023, a Senate ad hoc committee investigating the tragedy reported that 428 bodies had been exhumed. The death toll associated with the wider operation reached 429 after the death of a suspect in custody.
The 191 murder counts in the present case relate to a specific set of deaths and should not be confused with the total number of bodies recovered during the wider investigation.
The scale of the tragedy raised serious questions about the activities of religious organisations, the protection of children and the response of authorities to warning signs surrounding extremist religious teachings.
A Senate ad hoc committee subsequently investigated the circumstances leading to the deaths and recommended action against those responsible, including relevant government officials who had a duty to protect the victims.
The committee also recommended measures to address the proliferation of religious organisations and prevent similar tragedies.
Forensic Evidence Strengthened Prosecution Case
During the murder trial, prosecutors relied on medical and forensic evidence to demonstrate the circumstances surrounding the victims’ deaths.
According to the ODPP, crime scene investigations established that bodies had been buried across several homesteads and mass graves.
One mass grave contained 12 bodies, while another site had several graves holding 63 bodies.
The prosecution also presented 190 post-mortem samples relating to deceased minors through witness Dr Njoroge.
Medical evidence attributed 76 deaths to starvation, 112 to unascertained causes, one to a traumatic head injury, one to manual neck compression and another to asphyxia with features of starvation.
The findings formed part of the wider body of evidence presented to the court to establish the circumstances in which the victims died.
The prosecution also relied on witness accounts describing how followers were allegedly controlled, how the fasting instructions were enforced and how children suffered under the system.
The evidence was presented alongside digital material, DNA analysis, expert testimony and other exhibits gathered during the investigations.
The case required prosecutors to connect the alleged religious directives and the roles of individual accused persons to the deaths covered by the 191 murder counts.
Trial Marks Major Step Towards Accountability
The judgment marks a significant stage in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the Shakahola massacre and their families.
The convicted persons include Mackenzie, his deputy pastor Smart Deri Mwakalama, Stephen Sanga Muye and 26 others.
Two other accused persons, Kelvin Saudi Asena and Edison Safari Mnyambo, died during the trial, after which the prosecution withdrew the murder charges against them.
The prosecution team was led by DPP Ingonga and included Peter Kiprop, Head of the Coast Region; Jami Yamina; Victor Owiti; Ngina Mutua; Betty Rubia; and Yassir Mohammed.
The ODPP said the convictions demonstrated the importance of comprehensive witness testimony, forensic investigations, medical evidence and expert analysis in establishing criminal responsibility.
Beyond the immediate case, the tragedy has continued to raise questions about the balance between freedom of religion and the state’s responsibility to protect vulnerable people from harmful practices.
The convictions represent a major development in the prosecution of the Shakahola killings, although the wider tragedy involved hundreds of recovered bodies and investigations extending beyond the 191 murder counts addressed in this case.
