Kenyan cult preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for murdering 190 children and one adult under a deadly fasting regime that promised followers they would “meet Jesus.”
Justice Diana Kavedza handed down the sentence at the Mombasa High Court on Friday, weeks after convicting Mackenzie and 28 co-accused on 191 murder counts. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, citing the scale and brutality of the crimes. Fifteen co-convicts, including Mackenzie’s assistant pastor Smart Mwakalama, received 160-year prison terms, ten were sentenced to 140 years, one received 100 years, while two were jailed for ten years each.
“The sentence of this court must match the darkness of their deeds,” Kavedza said, rejecting pleas for leniency.
Mackenzie received 100 years for 183 murders by starvation and another 100 years for eight child murders by direct homicide, with the terms to run consecutively.
The court previously found that Mackenzie’s Good News International Church organized an enforced fasting system in Shakahola Forest in coastal Kilifi County between 2021 and 2023. Children were targeted first, while followers who tried to eat or escape were beaten.
Kavedza said the cult’s teachings had “displaced the parental instincts,” with parents withholding food and water from their own children and punishing those who tried to eat or escape. “The parent who should have provided safety punished escape,” she said.
During sentencing, Kavedza described the death of a 12-day-old infant and 161 children under ten. She also referred to a mother who lost seven children. Francis Wanje, another relative, lost eight family members, including two grandchildren.
Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after police rescued emaciated followers from the forest. Investigators later uncovered hundreds of bodies in shallow graves. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the death toll at 429. The commission accused security officials of ignoring warnings about Mackenzie dating back to 2017.
Postmortem examinations found that many victims starved, while others died from suffocation, strangulation, or head injuries.
At the time, Kenyan President William Ruto described the Shakahola deaths as “akin to terrorism” and ordered law enforcement agencies to investigate the case as a criminal matter.
The judge also ordered continued state support for surviving victims, including psychosocial care, education, vocational training, documentation, and help with reintegration. She directed authorities to continue identifying remains and tracing missing victims. Eligible co-convicts, excluding Mackenzie, may also undergo voluntary deradicalization and rehabilitation programs, though participation will not automatically reduce their sentences or secure early release.
Mackenzie has denied forcing followers to fast. His lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, said after last month’s conviction that the defense intended to appeal.