Shakahola: Paul Mackenzie jailed for 200 years over 191 deaths. What the sentence means
The High Court in Mombasa sentenced preacher Paul Mackenzie to 200 years for the murder of 191 people, 190 of them children, in Shakahola Forest. The judge rejected the death penalty. Here is what the court decided, why, and what remains unresolved.
- New explainer: Shakahola.
On Friday 6 November 2026, Justice Diana Kavedza of the High Court in Mombasa sentenced Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of Good News International Ministries, to 200 years in prison for the Shakahola killings in Kilifi County, one of the worst mass-death cases in Kenya's history.
The sentence at a glance
| How the 191 died | Number |
|---|---|
| Starvation under the fasting regime (182 children, 1 adult) | 183 |
| Children killed by strangulation, suffocation or blunt force | 8 |
The deaths happened between January 2021 and September 2023. Followers were told to starve themselves and their children to "meet Jesus". Mass graves were discovered in the forest in 2023, and more than 400 bodies were eventually exhumed; the murder charges cover the 191 victims the prosecution could prove.
Why not the death penalty?
Prosecutors asked for death. The defence asked for no more than 10 years. The judge rejected both, while saying the case came close to the "rarest of rare" category. Her reasons:
- It would not deter: some convicts see death as a path to heaven and reunion with their children.
- Answers are still needed: long imprisonment keeps open the chance that convicts reveal where unrecovered children's remains are.
- No mitigation for parents: parents who lost their own children were not given lighter sentences for that loss, because the children depended entirely on them.
The judge noted that most convicts still denied responsibility and held the beliefs linked to the killings. The 28 co-accused received sentences matched to their individual roles.
Why it matters
- Accountability: the court held the leader primarily responsible for deaths carried out in his name, alongside 28 followers.
- Regulating religion: Shakahola revived debate about vetting churches and preachers; proposals for a law on religious organisations have been debated, with concerns about protecting freedom of worship.
- Warning signs: children missing school, families cut off from relatives, and leaders who forbid hospitals or schooling should be reported to chiefs, police or the children's office.
