Kenyan pastor sentenced to 200 years in prison over Shakahola starvation tragedy that claimed hundreds of lives
Kenyan preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has reportedly been sentenced to 200 years in prison over the deaths of 191 members of his Good News International Church, including 190 children, in one of the most disturbing religious tragedies in Kenya's history.
The sentence
The Mombasa High Court handed down the sentence on Friday, 6 November 2026, following its ruling on 19 October in which Mackenzie and 28 other defendants were found guilty. The prosecution had earlier asked the court to impose the death penalty.
What happened in Shakahola
According to the prosecution, between 2021 and 2023 Mackenzie gathered his followers on a 325-hectare property in the Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi in south-eastern Kenya.
There, he convinced them that starving themselves to death would allow them to meet Jesus.
Imagine the level of trust these families must have placed in their religious leader. Parents, children and entire households were drawn into a belief system that eventually turned deadly.
During the trial, the defence argued that the children had taken part in the fasting voluntarily. The judge rejected that argument.
How the tragedy came to light
The case first drew international attention in April 2023, when authorities discovered the first bodies buried in the forest.
What first looked like an isolated discovery soon turned into something far more horrifying. As investigators kept searching, more graves were uncovered. Eventually, more than 400 bodies were exhumed, revealing the enormous scale of the disaster.
More than 200 witnesses testified during the proceedings. Mackenzie had been in custody since 14 April 2023, when he surrendered to authorities after the first victims were found.
The children who died
Kenya, a country where religion plays an important part in everyday life, was deeply shaken by the discoveries.
For many, the most painful part of the story is the number of children who died. These were young lives that depended on adults for protection, yet they became victims of circumstances they could neither understand nor control.
A warning about blind obedience
The case is a troubling reminder of what can happen when people give up their ability to question religious authority, and it raises serious questions about religious manipulation and the protection of vulnerable people.
Faith is deeply personal, and millions find comfort, hope and direction in religion. But when a religious leader begins demanding actions that threaten human life, the consequences can be devastating.
Over to you
How could such a tragedy continue for so long before authorities uncovered what was happening in the forest? And how far should people go in obeying religious leaders when their teachings put lives in danger?
- Mackenzie was reportedly sentenced to 200 years.
- 191 people died, including 190 children.
- More than 400 bodies were exhumed in Shakahola Forest.
