A Kenyan court has convicted controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 co-accused over the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, in the Shakahola massacre in Kilifi County. The Mombasa High Court delivered the judgment on Monday, October 19, with Lady Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache finding that the deaths resulted…...
A Kenyan court has convicted controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 co-accused over the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, in the Shakahola massacre in Kilifi County.
The Mombasa High Court delivered the judgment on Monday, October 19, with Lady Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache finding that the deaths resulted from an organised system in which religious teachings were used to direct and enforce deadly fasting.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced the convictions in a statement published on its X handle, describing the ruling as a landmark judgment in the case.
In its statement, the agency said the court found that the deaths resulted from “an organised system in which religious teachings and a structured hierarchy were used to direct and enforce deadly fasting.”
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It added that followers were instructed to relocate to Shakahola, where “fasting was imposed in stages, beginning with children,” while guards allegedly prevented them from escaping the deadly practice.
The conviction followed an extensive investigation and prosecution supported by evidence from 123 witnesses, including child victims. The DCI said the evidence was corroborated by “digital recordings, forensic and medical reports, DNA analysis, physical exhibits and expert testimony.”
Crime scene investigations also documented bodies exhumed from homesteads and mass graves, while medical evidence established that 76 victims died from starvation, among other causes identified through 190 postmortem examinations.
The court further found that Good News International Church, founded by Mackenzie in 2010, operated as a cult. According to the statement, the church preached the imminent end of the world, discouraged access to medicine and education, isolated followers and promoted extreme fasting as a means of attaining heaven.
The DCI said the court commended investigators for their work in scene documentation, exhumations, forensic pathology and evidence preservation, noting that their efforts “laid a firm foundation for the administration of justice.”
Welcoming the ruling, the agency said: “The DCI welcomes the judgment as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families.”
It added that the case underscored “the importance of thorough investigations, forensic expertise and evidence-led prosecutions in holding those responsible for serious crimes accountable.”