Omanghana
A Kenyan court has found religious sect leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 associates guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola mass starvation case.
The verdict, delivered in Mombasa on Monday, October 19, 2026, marks a major development in proceedings arising from the discovery of mass graves in a remote forest near Kenya’s coast. Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, while defense lawyers have indicated plans to appeal.
Mackenzie, who led the Good News International Church, promoted teachings that encouraged followers to undertake fatal fasting in preparation for reaching heaven before the end of the world.
According to Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the court established that religious teachings and a hierarchy within the group were used to organize and enforce the fasting. Children were targeted first, while guards restricted movement and prevented followers from escaping.
The court also heard how followers were denied access to food and medical care. A mitigation hearing, during which the defense can present factors for consideration before sentencing, is scheduled for October 30.
The tragedy came to public attention in 2023, when investigators uncovered graves in Shakahola Forest. More than 400 bodies were eventually recovered. Many victims died from starvation, although evidence also indicated suffocation and physical injuries in some cases.
Mackenzie faces separate proceedings involving allegations including manslaughter, terrorism and child torture. Those cases concern additional victims beyond the 191 deaths covered by the murder convictions.
The case has intensified scrutiny of failures to protect vulnerable followers. President William Ruto acknowledged that state institutions had failed to prevent the tragedy, while Kenya’s human rights commission criticized shortcomings in law enforcement and oversight of religious organization’s.
Source: Omanghana
