Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison by the Mombasa High Court. Lady Justice Diana Kavedza handed down the sentence on Friday, November 6, 2026, over the Shakahola massacre. The judge gave him 100 years for the murder of the child victims and another 100 years for the murder of the adult victim.
He was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult after he ordered his followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus. Prosecutors had asked the court to give him the death penalty, but the judge did not.
Mackenzie did not face the court alone. On October 19, the court found all 29 accused persons guilty of the murder of 191 people. The 28 co-accused were also sentenced, with their prison terms depending on the role each one played and how much they took part in the killings. Two of them each received an aggregate of 160 years.
While passing the sentence, the judge placed the heaviest blame on Mackenzie. She said he carried the primary criminal culpability as the overall leader of Good News International Ministries and the Shakahola settlement. She said he moved his followers to a remote place and directed the fast.
The case has shocked Kenyans since 2023. That year, more than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves on the 800-acre Chakama Ranch in Kilifi County, where Mackenzie's followers lived in mud huts, away from the eyes of local communities and the authorities. About 500 people are suspected to have died in one of the worst cult tragedies in recent history.
For families who lost their loved ones, the verdict has brought some relief after a long wait. Francis Wanje, who lost eight members of his family, welcomed the earlier guilty ruling after years of waiting for justice. Still, some relatives of victims have said they fear his influence could continue even from behind bars.
The tragedy also raised hard questions about how it was allowed to happen. Since the bodies were discovered, there have been calls for the government to bring tougher rules for religious organisations. It also came out that Mackenzie had been arrested twice in the past but was released. After the conviction, his lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, said he had been instructed to appeal. Mackenzie also faces other legal proceedings.
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