A Kenyan court has convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants of murdering 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola starvation cult case, more than three years after mass graves were discovered near the country’s Indian Ocean coast.
Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the judgment at the Mombasa High Court on Monday, finding that Mackenzie used religious teachings to direct members of his Good News International Church to fast until death in the belief that they would meet Jesus before the end of the world.
The court found that an organised system had been used to isolate followers and deny them food. Evidence presented during the trial showed that children were targeted first and, in some instances, were prevented from escaping or obtaining food and medical care.
Mackenzie, his wife and other members of the group were tried over 191 deaths. Several former followers later gave evidence for the prosecution. Mackenzie denied forcing anyone to starve and pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, but the court rejected his defence.
The convicted defendants are due to return to court for mitigation on 30 October. Sentencing is scheduled for 6 November. Defence lawyer Lawrence Obonyo said he had been instructed to appeal the verdict.
More than 400 bodies were recovered from shallow graves on the group’s isolated property in Kilifi County after police began a large-scale search in 2023. The remains included a large number of children, while severe decomposition meant that many victims could not immediately be identified.
The investigation began after police received information that followers were starving in Shakahola Forest. Officers rescued 15 severely malnourished people, four of whom later died, before searches exposed the scale of the deaths and burial sites.
Prosecutors said Mackenzie taught followers that schools and hospitals were evil and instructed families to withdraw children from education and avoid medical treatment. He had previously attracted the attention of Kenyan authorities, and his church was closed in 2019 before he moved operations to the forest.
The case has remained painful for families who lost several relatives or have waited for the identification and return of remains. Francis Wanje, who lost eight family members including two grandchildren, told Reuters after the ruling that the judgment had restored his confidence in the judiciary.
He said members of the public should be cautious about religious organisations with harmful intentions. His reaction followed years of searching by relatives who reported family members missing after they joined Mackenzie’s community.
Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, welcomed the decision outside the Mombasa court. The judgment follows a lengthy trial involving extensive forensic evidence, testimony from survivors and former members, and the identification of victims recovered from the forest.
The Shakahola deaths led to national scrutiny of Kenya’s response to extremist religious groups. President William Ruto acknowledged in 2023 that state agencies should have acted to prevent the deaths and said he accepted responsibility as president.
Mackenzie also faces separate proceedings, including terrorism-related accusations and charges connected with 52 additional deaths at Kwa Binzaro, about 30 kilometres from Shakahola. He has pleaded not guilty in that case, which remains before the courts.
Monday’s judgment concerned the deaths of 190 children and one adult. The wider investigation continues because the number of bodies recovered from the Shakahola site exceeds the number covered by the completed murder trial.
