MOMBASA, Kenya – Court has sentenced controversial cult leader Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murder of 191 people in the Shakahola massacre, in which most of the victims were children.
Mackenzie was sentenced alongside 27 co-accused after they were found guilty of orchestrating the deaths of followers through forced starvation in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County.
In her ruling, Justice Diana Mochache said Mackenzie bore the primary criminal responsibility for directing members of his Good News International Ministries to fast to death in the belief that they would meet Jesus.
The judge said the sentence was appropriate given the gravity of the crimes, adding that it should send a clear message that such atrocities attract the maximum penalties provided by law.
Prosecutors had urged the court to impose the death penalty on Mackenzie, citing the scale of the killings and what they described as his lack of remorse. They had sought life imprisonment for his co-accused.
The 28 convicts had pleaded not guilty and maintained that no one was forced to die. They later appealed for mercy and leniency during sentencing.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after authorities discovered mass graves in Shakahola Forest, where more than 400 bodies have since been exhumed.
Investigations established that followers were subjected to an organised system of religious teachings and directives that compelled them to fast. Justice Mochache said Mackenzie’s followers regarded him as the mouthpiece of Jesus, while those who resisted his teachings were subjected to violence.
Post-mortem examinations showed that most victims died from starvation, while others succumbed to suffocation, strangulation and head injuries. The cause of death could not be established in some cases because of the condition of the remains.
The convictions relate to 191 victims, meaning the wider Shakahola investigation extends beyond the murders covered in the case. Mackenzie and other alleged leaders also face separate cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and denying children access to education.
The massacre exposed serious concerns about oversight of religious organisations and the response of authorities to reports of suspicious activities.
A Kenya National Commission on Human Rights investigation found that local administrators and law enforcement officers had repeatedly failed to act on warning signs.
Mackenzie founded Good News International Ministries in 2003 and attracted thousands of followers through his church branches and televised sermons. His teachings reportedly portrayed formal education, healthcare and digital identity cards as contrary to his religious beliefs.
The main church closed in 2019 before Mackenzie relocated to Shakahola Forest, where he encouraged followers to join him.
