Kenya: cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 28 others found guilty of murdering 191 Shakahola followers
A Mombasa High Court judge convicted the preacher who urged followers to starve to 'meet Jesus'. 190 of the victims were children. Sentencing is set for November 6.
At a glance
- Kenya's High Court in Mombasa found preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 co-accused guilty on 191 counts of murder on Monday, October 19, 2026.
- 190 of the 191 victims were children under 16; prosecutors said Mackenzie ordered followers to starve themselves to 'meet Jesus'.
- Justice Diana Kavedza rejected the defence that fasting was a religious choice; sentencing is set for November 6.
- More than 400 bodies were recovered from Shakahola forest from 2023; Mackenzie also faces a separate terrorism trial over 52 deaths at a second site.
A Kenyan court has convicted the preacher behind one of the world's deadliest cult tragedies. On Monday, October 19, 2026, the High Court in Mombasa found Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 co-accused guilty on 191 counts of murder over the deaths of followers who starved in Shakahola forest. 190 of the victims were children under the age of 16.
The verdict at a glance
| Court | High Court, Mombasa |
| Judge | Justice Diana Kavedza |
| Accused convicted | Paul Mackenzie and 28 others (29 in total) |
| Charges | 191 counts of murder |
| Victims in this case | 190 children and one adult |
| Accused who died during trial | 2 (of 31 originally charged) |
| Witnesses | More than 120 |
| Probation reports due | Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| Sentencing | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
What the court found
Prosecutors said Mackenzie ran a "structured hierarchy of death", ordering followers to fast until they died so they could "meet Jesus" — with children starved first, then teenagers, women and men. Justice Kavedza rejected the defence argument that fasting was a personal religious choice, ruling that religious explanations were "legally immaterial" to the question of intent.
The defence had argued that the case relied on circumstantial evidence, hearsay and inconclusive forensic findings. The accused had pleaded not guilty in 2024. Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga attended the reading of the judgment.
How the tragedy unfolded
- 2003: Mackenzie founds the Good News International church, later running a TV channel in Malindi and branches in Nairobi and on the coast.
- 2017: 43 children are rescued from church premises; Mackenzie is charged over radicalisation but later acquitted.
- 2019: He says he has closed the church; followers begin moving to an 800-acre plot in Shakahola forest, Kilifi County. He is arrested after two children die of starvation.
- March–April 2023: Bodies are found in shallow graves after a human-rights group alerts authorities. Police rescue some followers who are still fasting.
- 2023–2024: Exhumations uncover more than 400 bodies; at one point operations stop because local mortuaries are full. A national human-rights report later put the toll at 448.
Other cases still pending
Mackenzie also faces a terrorism trial, which opened in August 2026 at the Shanzu Law Courts, over 52 deaths at a second site, Kwa Binzaro, as well as manslaughter charges. Many victims have still not been identified.
Reactions
Relatives of victims welcomed the verdict after years of waiting, while rights groups said the case showed the need for stronger oversight of religious organisations. Kenya's government has previously proposed tighter regulation of churches since the Shakahola deaths came to light.
Why it matters
The scale of the deaths shocked Kenya and the world and raised hard questions about how warnings — including Mackenzie's earlier arrests — were missed. The conviction is seen as a test of whether Kenya's justice system can hold religious leaders accountable for abuse and exploitation, and it adds pressure for rules on the registration and supervision of churches.
What happens next
The court will receive probation reports on October 30 and pass sentence on November 6. Murder carries a maximum penalty of death under Kenyan law, although no executions have been carried out in Kenya since 1987, and death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment. The separate terrorism trial will continue.
Questions people are asking
What happened at Shakahola?
Between 2021 and 2023, followers of preacher Paul Mackenzie's Good News International church starved to death in Shakahola forest in Kilifi County, Kenya, after he told them fasting would let them 'meet Jesus'. More than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves from March 2023.
What was the verdict in the Paul Mackenzie trial?
On October 19, 2026, Justice Diana Kavedza of the Mombasa High Court found Mackenzie and 28 co-accused guilty on 191 counts of murder. Two other accused died during the trial.
When will Paul Mackenzie be sentenced?
Sentencing is scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026, after probation reports are submitted on October 30.
