Kenyan Court Sentences Cult Leader To 200 Years Over Deaths Of 190 Children

A Kenyan court has sentenced self-proclaimed pastor and cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for his role in the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, in the country’s notorious Shakahola massacre.

The High Court in Mombasa handed down the sentence on Friday, November 6, 2026, following Mackenzie’s conviction for 191 counts of murder linked to the deaths of followers of his Good News International Church.

Justice Diana Kavedza imposed separate 100-year prison terms for murders committed through starvation and direct homicide, bringing his total sentence to 200 years.

The court found that Mackenzie directed members of his religious group to starve themselves and their children to death in the belief that doing so would enable them to meet Jesus and reach heaven before the end of the world.

According to findings presented during the trial, the practice began with children before extending to young people, women and men.

The court also established that the fasting was not entirely voluntary, as followers who resisted the instructions were subjected to beatings, restraint and confinement by individuals enforcing the group’s directives.

Some victims were reportedly prevented from accessing food and water, while others were locked in designated locations where they were left to die.

Mackenzie had denied forcing his followers to starve, maintaining his defence against the murder allegations. However, the court rejected his position and found the prosecution had established his responsibility for the deaths.

Twenty-eight other defendants were also convicted alongside him in October. They received prison sentences ranging from 10 to 160 years for their respective roles in the killings.

The prosecution had reportedly sought the death penalty for Mackenzie, arguing that the scale and circumstances of the murders warranted the harshest possible punishment.

However, the court handed down the 200-year prison term.

The case, which became widely known as the Shakahola massacre, came to international attention in April 2023 after authorities began uncovering human remains in shallow graves in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County, along Kenya’s coastal region.

Investigations into the tragedy revealed the activities of Mackenzie’s religious organisation, whose followers had reportedly been encouraged to abandon conventional education, medical treatment and aspects of normal social life.

The discovery of hundreds of bodies triggered widespread concern over religious extremism, child protection and the monitoring of religious organisations in Kenya.

Mackenzie’s sentencing marks a major development in one of the country’s most disturbing mass-death investigations.

However, his defence lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, has indicated plans to appeal the convictions and sentences, according to reports from the sentencing proceedings.