A court in Kenya has sentenced self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison over the Shakahola forest killings, one of the deadliest cult tragedies in modern African history. The High Court in Mombasa handed down the sentence on Friday, 6 November 2026, less than three weeks after convicting him over the deaths of 191 people, 190 of them children.
Justice Diana Kavedza found that Mackenzie bore primary responsibility for the deaths as leader of the Good News International Church and the settlement it set up in Shakahola forest, in Kilifi County on Kenya’s coast. Kenyan outlets including The Star, Capital FM and People Daily reported the sentence, and it was also covered internationally by Al Jazeera.
How the 200-year sentence was reached
According to The Star, the judge gave Mackenzie 100 years on the counts of murder by starvation and another 100 years on separate counts of murder by direct violence involving children. The terms within each group run concurrently, but the two groups run one after the other, so the total is 200 years.
The Star said the prosecution had asked for the death penalty. Justice Kavedza declined. She found the case serious enough for a death sentence to be considered, but said such a sentence would rule out any chance of disengagement and rehabilitation.
In her ruling, the judge described how Mackenzie led followers into the wilderness, ordered them to fast to death and targeted children first. On the failure to protect the youngest victims, The Star quoted her: “The adult support system malfunctioned.”
The 28 people convicted with Mackenzie received sentences ranging from 10 to 160 years, People Daily reported.
A verdict three years in the making
The case dates back to April 2023, when Kenyan authorities began exhuming shallow mass graves in Shakahola forest, near the coastal town of Malindi. According to Africanews, more than 400 bodies have been recovered since then, and many victims have still not been identified.
Investigators said followers had been urged to starve themselves so that they could “meet Jesus” before the end of the world. Children were reportedly made to fast first. Post-mortem examinations carried out in 2023 found that some victims had also been strangled, beaten or suffocated, government pathologists said at the time.
On 19 October 2026, Justice Kavedza convicted Mackenzie and 28 co-accused of the murders of 191 people. Prosecutors said the deaths happened between 2021 and 2023. Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga welcomed the verdict at the time, calling it the best judgment his office could have hoped for.
The 191 deaths covered by this trial are only part of the total. Africanews said other deaths are the subject of separate legal proceedings.
Defence plans to appeal
Mackenzie’s lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, said after the October verdict that his clients were surprised and disappointed and that he had instructions to appeal, Africanews reported. People Daily said the defence still intends to challenge the ruling now that sentences have been passed. No appeal date has been announced.
During the trial, the defence argued that the victims had chosen to fast. The court rejected that argument.
Questions over regulation of churches
The sentence has revived debate in Kenya about how religious groups are overseen. People Daily said the case has reopened questions about the state’s ability to monitor churches and preachers. Mackenzie had been arrested and released before the Shakahola deaths came to light, Africanews noted, which led to criticism of police and the courts.
After the exhumations, President William Ruto’s government set up inquiries and promised tougher rules on religious organisations, though proposals to regulate churches have met resistance from some faith leaders.
What happens next
Mackenzie and his co-accused will begin serving their sentences while any appeal goes through Kenya’s Court of Appeal. Separate cases arising from the Shakahola deaths are still before the courts, and identifying the remaining victims is expected to take time.
For many families on Kenya’s coast, the sentence gives some legal closure. Many of them are still waiting to identify and bury their relatives, more than three years after the graves were found.
Sources: The Star (Kenya), People Daily, Capital FM, Africanews, Al Jazeera.
