MOMBASA, Kenya — Controversial doomsday preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison by the High Court in Mombasa for his central role in the Shakahola Forest massacre.
Lady Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache handed down the decisive penalty on Friday, November 6, 2026, marking a historic conclusion to one of Kenya’s most horrific mass murder trials.
The sentence follows an October 19 murder judgment in which the court convicted Mackenzie and 28 co-accused on 191 counts of murder after prosecutors proved the state’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The deadly tragedy unfolded in the remote Shakahola forest of Kilifi County, where Mackenzie, founder of the Good News International Ministries, directed his congregation to engage in extreme, deadly fasting.
Followers were indoctrinated to believe that starving themselves would allow them to “meet Jesus” before the end of the world.
Court findings revealed a deliberate hierarchy: children were targeted first to undergo enforced starvation, before the practice was imposed on young adults, women, and men.
Rejecting defense arguments that the starvation was voluntary, Justice Kavedza established that the deaths resulted from a systematically enforced apparatus.
The court detailed an organized system of religious radicalization, violent intimidation, and continuous coercion that prevented victims from escaping or seeking aid.
Forensic evidence and witness testimonies confirmed that 190 children and one adult died under Mackenzie’s directive.
Friday’s sentencing delivers long-awaited legal accountability for the families of victims who lost loved ones to the cult’s deadly regimen.
As Mackenzie begins his 200-year term, the landmark ruling sends an unmistakable message regarding the prosecution of dangerous religious extremism and enforced mass harm under Kenyan law.
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