Controversial preacher and Good News International Church founder Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for the murder of 191 followers in the Shakahola tragedy in Kilifi County.
High Court Judge Diana Kavedza delivered the sentence on Friday, November 6, 2026, imposing two separate 100-year prison terms for murder by starvation and direct homicide.
The first 100-year sentence covers 183 counts of murder by starvation, involving one adult and 182 children. The second 100-year term relates to eight counts of murder by direct homicide involving child victims.
The judge ordered that sentences within each category run concurrently, but that the two categories run consecutively, bringing Mackenzie’s aggregate prison term to 200 years.
“The sentences in sub-paragraphs a and b shall run consecutively, making an aggregate sentence of 200 years’ imprisonment for convict Mackenzie,” Justice Kavedza ruled.
Court finds Mackenzie directed deadly fasting
The sentencing follows the High Court’s October 19, 2026, conviction of Mackenzie and 28 co-accused on 191 counts of murder linked to deaths at Shakahola Forest between January 2021 and September 2023.
Justice Kavedza found that religious teachings were used to establish an organised system of enforced fasting, with followers who resisted subjected to beatings, confinement and restraint.
The court rejected the defence argument that followers had voluntarily chosen to fast, finding that the prosecution had proved the murder charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Shakahola deaths remain one of Kenya’s worst tragedies
The 191 murder counts relate to 190 children and one adult. Authorities have recovered more than 400 bodies from shallow graves in Shakahola since the tragedy came to light in 2023.
Mackenzie’s conviction and sentence mark a major development in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families, although he faces separate proceedings over other alleged offences.
