- The Mombasa High Court, in its ruling delivered on Monday, October 19, found Mackenzie and his co-accused guilty of radicalising followers, leading to the deaths of 190 children and one adult.
Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 others have been found guilty in connection with the deaths of 191 people in the Shakahola tragedy, with sentencing scheduled for November 6, 2026.
The Mombasa High Court, in its ruling delivered on Monday, October 19, found Mackenzie and his co-accused guilty of radicalising followers, leading to the deaths of 190 children and one adult.
The ruling comes more than three years after the discovery of mass graves in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County.
Mackenzie and his associates had pleaded not guilty to 191 counts of murder in 2024.
The controversial preacher also faces separate charges of manslaughter and terrorism, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, the court heard testimony from more than 120 witnesses concerning events between 2021 and 2023 at an 800-acre ranch in Shakahola Forest.
The prosecution accused Mackenzie of initiating and directing extreme fasting among his followers, allegedly convincing them that starving themselves to death would enable them to meet Jesus.
Prosecutors described what they termed a "structured hierarchy of death", alleging that children were targeted first, followed by teenagers, women and finally men.
According to the prosecution, post-mortem examinations revealed that children died from starvation and other causes, including asphyxia, neck compression and traumatic head injuries.
Mackenzie's defence team challenged the prosecution's evidence, arguing that the case was largely based on circumstantial evidence, hearsay accounts and inconclusive forensic findings.
The Shakahola tragedy came to light in April 2023 after a human rights group alerted authorities, prompting a police operation that led to the rescue of some followers and the discovery of shallow mass graves.
The subsequent exhumation exercise uncovered hundreds of bodies, with the rising death toll at one point forcing authorities to suspend operations after local morgues ran out of space.
In 2024, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights placed the death toll at 429, although further discoveries have since been reported in surrounding areas.
Some victims remain unidentified.
Mackenzie, who established the Good News International Church in 2003, had attracted followers through branches in Nairobi and along the Kenyan coast before claiming to have closed the church in 2019.
He had previously encountered law enforcement, including a 2017 arrest over radicalisation allegations in a case in which he was later acquitted. He was also arrested in 2019 following the deaths of two children from starvation in Shakahola.
In January 2026, Mackenzie faced fresh charges linked to the discovery of another 52 bodies in a nearby village, adding to the multiple criminal proceedings arising from the tragedy.
The case has sparked widespread public outrage and renewed debate over the regulation of religious organisations in Kenya, with calls for stronger oversight to prevent exploitation and radicalisation under the guise of religious teachings.
Mackenzie and his 28 co-accused are expected to return to court on November 6, 2026, for sentencing.