Self-proclaimed doomsday pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 of his co-defendants were convicted of murder on Monday, October 19, 2026, at the High Court in Mombasa for the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children. The landmark ruling marks the first murder conviction for the founder of the Good News International Church in connection with the Shakahola Forest massacre, one of the deadliest religious cult tragedies in modern history.
Presiding High Court Judge Lady Justice Diana Mochache delivered the exhaustive judgment over the course of more than eight hours, concluding a trial that began in 2023. Reading from the bench, Justice Mochache held that the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mackenzie orchestrated a structured, lethal fasting regime at his 800-acre compound in Kilifi County’s Shakahola Forest.
The court found that Mackenzie deliberately twisted biblical scriptures to isolate followers from their families, forbid modern medicine, and order the systematic starvation of children and adults so they could “meet Jesus” before an anticipated end of the world. In her ruling, Justice Mochache detailed how Mackenzie established a rigid “hierarchy of death” inside the forest redoubt, mandating that children be allowed to starve first, followed by women, and finally men.
Testimonies from 121 prosecution witnesses, including survivors who escaped under gunfire from cult enforcers and former insiders, revealed that followers viewed Mackenzie as a divine spokesperson. Victims who resisted were beaten, while forest burials were morbidly referred to within the group as “weddings” to celebrate joining Christ. Forensic reports presented by state pathologists confirmed that while starvation caused most fatalities, several children also died from asphyxia, strangulation, and blunt force trauma.
Outrage and grief echoed outside the Mombasa Law Courts following the verdict. Francis Wanje, a 62-year-old grandfather who lost eight family members to the cult, expressed a sense of long-awaited relief, describing the ordeal as a crushing psychological burden for surviving families.
Meanwhile, public rights groups and state oversight bodies reiterated criticism over early systemic failures, noting that authorities had investigated and shut down Mackenzie’s primary church in 2019, yet failed to prevent him from establishing the remote Shakahola compound where over 400 total bodies have since been exhumed.
The state’s prosecution team welcomed the decision, emphasizing that the conviction of Mackenzie and his 28 co-accused, which included his wife and senior lieutenants acting as grave diggers and enforcers, delivers accountability for the scores of young victims. The High Court scheduled a formal mitigation hearing for Friday, October 30, 2026, with final sentencing set for Thursday, November 6, 2026.
Mackenzie and his co-convicts face potential life sentences under Kenyan law. The cult leader remains in custody as he faces separate, ongoing legal proceedings in related cases involving terrorism, radicalisation, manslaughter, and severe child cruelty.
