MOMBASA, Kenya — The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has asked the High Court to impose a structured 11-year sentence on Shakahola massacre convict Enos Amanya, combining imprisonment with rehabilitation and long-term supervision.
Appearing before Justice Diana Kavedza at the High Court in Mombasa, prosecutors said the proposed sentence should reflect both punishment and rehabilitation following Amanya’s role in the Shakahola tragedy.
Through Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina, the State proposed an 11-year sentence that takes into account the three years Amanya has already spent in remand custody.
If adopted by the court, the remaining term would amount to eight years under a structured sentencing framework combining custodial and non-custodial measures.
Prosecution recommended that between one and two-and-a-half years of the remaining sentence be served in prison under a voluntary rehabilitation programme.
The programme would be jointly implemented by the National Counter Terrorism Centre and the Kenya Prisons Service. According to prosecutors, it would focus on disengagement from cultic beliefs, deradicalisation, and preparing Amanya for eventual reintegration into society.
Following completion of the custodial component, the prosecution proposed that Amanya serve six years under supervised probation.
Prosecutors said the probation period would allow authorities to closely monitor Amanya during his reintegration into the community and ensure continued compliance with rehabilitation requirements.
Amanya told the court he is willing to cooperate with prison authorities and participate in the proposed rehabilitation programme.
The prosecution also informed the court that victims and affected community members would receive psychosocial support as part of a broader restorative justice process linked to the case.
To ensure accountability, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions proposed that the court receive progress reports every six months during the rehabilitation phase.
If Amanya fails to comply with the programme requirements, prosecutors recommended that he serve the full custodial sentence without the benefit of the structured rehabilitation framework.
The State said its proposal was anchored on established sentencing principles, including consideration of mitigating circumstances and proportional punishment.
Prosecutors also cited the legal doctrine of the “rarest of rare cases,” noting that the threshold for imposing the death penalty had not been met in Amanya’s case.
Mitigating factors presented to the court included Amanya’s cooperation with investigators and his willingness to plead guilty during the proceedings.
However, the prosecution emphasised that the greatest moral and legal culpability lies with cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and other church leaders alleged to have orchestrated the activities linked to the Shakahola massacre.
The Director of Public Prosecutions indicated that the State will pursue heavier sentences against Mackenzie and other key figures accused of leading the controversial religious movement.
The Shakahola case remains one of Kenya’s most disturbing criminal investigations in recent years, after authorities discovered hundreds of bodies in mass graves in the Shakahola forest in Kilifi County in 2023.
The High Court is expected to continue hearing the case in April 2026.
