By Valentine Omondi
Self-proclaimed preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison over the murder of 191 people, including 190 children, in the Shakahola massacre, bringing a major chapter of one of Kenya’s deadliest religious-related tragedies to a sentencing conclusion.
The High Court in Mombasa, presided over by Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache, handed down the sentence on Friday, 6th November 2026, after finding Mackenzie and 28 co-accused guilty on all 191 murder counts.
The court imposed two separate 100-year prison terms on Mackenzie, distinguishing between deaths caused by starvation and those resulting from direct homicide. The sentences will run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 200 years.
Mackenzie, who led the Good News International Ministries, was convicted over the deaths of followers who were subjected to extreme fasting in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County, between January 2021 and September 2023.
Why the Court Imposed 200 Years
In delivering the sentence, Justice Kavedza distinguished between 183 murders committed through starvation and eight cases involving direct homicide.
Mackenzie received 100 years for the 183 counts of murder by starvation, involving 182 children and one adult, and another 100 years for the eight counts of direct homicide, all involving children.
The court ordered the two categories of sentences to run consecutively, meaning one term would follow the other.
The prosecution had asked the court to impose the death penalty on Mackenzie, arguing that the magnitude of the crimes and the loss of innocent lives warranted the harshest possible punishment.
However, the judge declined the request, observing that a death sentence could be perceived differently by individuals whose religious beliefs regarded death as a pathway to heaven.
In her reasoning, Justice Kavedza noted that executing individuals who believed death would reunite them with Jesus and their deceased children might fail to achieve the intended deterrent effect.
The court also sentenced Mackenzie’s 28 co-accused to prison terms ranging from 10 to 160 years.
Defence lawyer Lawrence Obonyo, who represented Mackenzie and several of the other convicts, indicated that the defence would appeal the ruling.
How the Shakahola Deaths Unfolded
The Shakahola tragedy came to national attention in April 2023 when police began uncovering human remains in Shakahola Forest, near Malindi in Kilifi County.
Investigations established that Mackenzie had instructed his followers to abandon ordinary life and undertake extreme fasting in preparation for what he described as meeting Jesus.
The court previously found that the fasting was not simply a voluntary religious practice but part of an organised system of indoctrination, intimidation and violence.
Children were reportedly subjected to fasting first, followed by young people, women and men.
Those who attempted to resist the practice or seek food were subjected to beatings, confinement and other forms of punishment.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence showing how followers were allegedly prevented from escaping the situation, with some victims dying from starvation while others were directly killed.
The court found Mackenzie responsible for directing the system that resulted in the deaths.
More Than 400 Bodies Recovered
Although the murder trial that resulted in Friday’s sentencing involved 191 victims, the wider Shakahola investigation uncovered an even greater number of deaths.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, 448 bodies were ultimately recovered from the forest.
Mackenzie is also facing a separate case involving 52 people whose deaths were linked to another location, approximately 30 kilometres from Shakahola Forest. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
The discovery of mass graves in 2023 triggered nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of the regulation of religious institutions in Kenya.
It also raised questions about how the activities of Mackenzie and his church continued despite previous encounters with law enforcement authorities.
According to Reuters, Mackenzie had been on the radar of authorities since 2017, when police searched his premises. His church in Malindi was shut down in 2019, after which he relocated to Shakahola Forest.
Questions of Accountability Beyond Mackenzie
The sentencing has also renewed attention on the responsibility of government institutions in preventing the tragedy.
During the proceedings, the court addressed institutional failures and the warning signs that had emerged before the mass deaths were discovered.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission’s head of rapid response, Ojiro Odhiambo, said accountability should extend beyond the convicted individuals to officials and institutions that failed to act on repeated warnings.
“All these people have failed the people,” Odhiambo said.
The case has continued to leave families searching for answers, with some relatives still unable to establish the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Following the sentencing, Suleiman Zero, whose wife and six children remain missing, expressed mixed emotions, welcoming the ruling while appealing to the government to help locate his family.
“I am happy, but where is my family?” he said.
The 200-year sentence marks a significant development in the Shakahola murder trial, although separate proceedings involving other deaths linked to Mackenzie remain unresolved.
