For ordering followers to starve to death, Kenya convicts pastor

A Kenyan court has convicted controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants of murdering 191 people, including 190 children, after a religious group they led allegedly ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death to attain heaven.

The verdict, delivered on Monday, October 19, 2026, by the High Court in the coastal city of Mombasa, followed a lengthy trial over one of the deadliest religious-cult tragedies in recent history.

Mackenzie, founder of the Good News International Church, was accused of using his religious teachings to persuade followers that they needed to fast until death to meet Jesus before the end of the world. Blueprint reports

The court, presided over by Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache, found the defendants guilty in connection with the deaths of 191 victims. The accused had denied the charges and maintained that the victims had not been forced to starve.

Court rejects claims of voluntary fasting

In delivering the judgment, Justice Mochache described an organised system through which religious teachings were allegedly used to compel followers to undertake deadly fasting.

The court rejected the defence argument that the victims had voluntarily chosen to starve themselves, finding that the prosecution had established the defendants’ responsibility for the deaths.

Evidence presented during the trial indicated that children were particularly vulnerable, with some isolated and denied food while their parents watched.

Investigators and witnesses also described how followers who resisted the fasting instructions faced intimidation and violence.

Mackenzie’s followers reportedly believed he was a divine messenger whose instructions had to be obeyed. Prosecutors argued that this influence enabled him and his associates to maintain control over the group and enforce practices that resulted in multiple deaths.

The judgment covered 191 deaths, comprising 190 children and one adult. Investigations into other deaths linked to the group are continuing.

More than 400 bodies recovered from Shakahola Forest

The case came to international attention in 2023 after Kenyan authorities uncovered mass graves in Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi in Kilifi County.

Police began investigating after receiving information about suspected deaths among members of the religious group. Subsequent searches uncovered bodies buried in shallow graves across an extensive area where followers had settled away from ordinary community life.

More than 400 bodies have since been recovered from the area, although Monday’s murder judgment covered 191 deaths.

Many of the bodies were severely decomposed, complicating the identification of victims and the work of investigators.

The discoveries shocked Kenya and drew international attention to the activities of Mackenzie and the group associated with his church.

The deaths also raised questions about how the group had been able to operate in relative isolation and why authorities had not stopped the activities earlier.

Reports indicated that Mackenzie had come under scrutiny before the mass graves were discovered, with concerns about his teachings and the welfare of children associated with the group emerging years earlier.

Followers allegedly rejected education and medical care

Investigations into the Shakahola tragedy revealed that Mackenzie’s teachings extended beyond fasting.

The preacher reportedly discouraged followers from accessing formal education and medical treatment, portraying such institutions as incompatible with his religious beliefs.

Prosecutors said his apocalyptic teachings encouraged followers to abandon ordinary life and prepare for the end of the world.

Some members moved to the Shakahola area, where they lived in makeshift shelters under the group’s strict religious practices.

The prosecution argued that the fasting was not simply a voluntary religious exercise but part of a system in which followers were pressured to comply, with children bearing a particularly devastating share of the consequences.

Testimony during the proceedings described children being denied food and people who attempted to resist the instructions facing force.

Mackenzie denied forcing anyone to starve to death, but the court rejected the defence’s position in reaching its verdict.

Pastor and associates face sentencing

Mackenzie and his co-defendants are expected to return to court for further proceedings ahead of sentencing, scheduled for November 6.

A mitigation hearing is expected to take place on October 30, providing an opportunity for the defendants to present circumstances the court may consider before determining their sentences.

The preacher also faces other legal proceedings arising from the wider Shakahola investigation, including allegations relating to terrorism, radicalisation and child welfare.

The latest conviction, however, relates specifically to the 191 murders covered by the judgment.

The verdict has marked a significant development for families who lost relatives in the tragedy, although the process of identifying victims and investigating other suspected deaths remains ongoing.

Shakahola tragedy renews scrutiny of religious groups

The case has intensified debate in Kenya over religious freedom, the regulation of religious organisations and the responsibility of authorities to intervene when religious teachings allegedly expose followers to serious harm.

Kenya has a deeply religious population, and the case has prompted questions about how to protect constitutional freedoms of worship while preventing individuals from exploiting religious authority.

The tragedy has also highlighted the vulnerability of children within tightly controlled religious communities, particularly where access to education, healthcare and outside intervention is restricted.

For investigators, the discovery of hundreds of bodies in Shakahola Forest revealed the scale of the alleged abuses and the challenges of detecting crimes committed within isolated communities.

The court’s judgment now establishes criminal responsibility for the 191 deaths covered by the case, while further investigations and legal proceedings continue over other suspected victims.

The Shakahola case remains a stark reminder of the deadly consequences that can follow when religious authority is used to compel vulnerable people to engage in life-threatening practices.