MOMBASA—The High Court on Monday convicted self-proclaimed preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 co-accused of the murder of 191 people, including 190 children, in the Shakahola forest tragedy in Kilifi County.
Lady Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache delivered the lengthy judgment at the Mombasa Law Courts in Case No. E003 of 2024. The court found the accused guilty on all 191 murder counts arising from deaths that occurred between January 2021 and September 2023 at Shakahola, Malindi Sub-County. Only one of the victims in this case was an adult; the rest were children aged 16 and below.
Justice Kavedza ruled that the deaths resulted from an organized system in which Mackenzie’s Good News International Church used extreme religious teachings and a hierarchy to direct and enforce deadly fasting among followers. The court heard that followers were radicalized, isolated from society, discouraged from seeking medical care or formal education, and directed to fast in the belief they would meet Jesus. Medical evidence linked many deaths to starvation, with others attributed to asphyxia, neck compression, or traumatic injuries. Burial rites were sometimes conducted at unusual hours to avoid detection, and the settlement was organized into villages to enforce the directives.
The prosecution presented evidence from more than 120 witnesses, including survivors, experts, and investigators, along with post-mortem reports and other forensic findings. The defense had argued the case rested on circumstantial evidence, but the court rejected claims that the fasting was purely voluntary and not directed by the accused.
The Shakahola case is one of Kenya’s deadliest cult-related tragedies. Authorities have recovered more than 429 bodies from mass graves in the forest since the discoveries in 2023, though many remain unidentified. This murder trial covers 191 of the deaths; other investigations and related charges (including radicalization and organized crime) continue in separate proceedings.
Mackenzie, founder of the church, sat largely silent as the judge read through the roughly 1,000-page judgment, which began around 9:40 a.m. Two other accused persons died during the trial, and charges against them were withdrawn. Sentencing has not yet been announced.
The ruling brings a measure of accountability in a case that shocked the country and raised broader questions about the regulation of religious organizations, child protection, and the dangers of extreme teachings. Families of victims have long sought justice after losing loved ones who relocated to Shakahola following Mackenzie’s end-times preaching.