Kenyan Pastor Convicted Over 191 Murders in Shakahola Cult Massacre

By Maitengwe Reporter
A Kenyan pastor accused of directing followers to starve themselves and their children in the belief that they would meet Jesus has been convicted of murdering 191 people in one of the country’s deadliest cult-related tragedies.

Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-accused were convicted following a court case linked to the Shakahola Forest massacre, where hundreds of bodies were discovered in shallow graves in 2023.

Mackenzie is expected to be sentenced on November 6, 2026, following the verdict delivered by the Mombasa court.


Justice Diana Mochache delivered an eight-hour judgment describing how Mackenzie’s followers viewed him as a spiritual authority who spoke on behalf of Jesus.

The court heard that the group prohibited formal education and discouraged the use of modern medicine. Prosecutors presented evidence linking deaths to starvation and violence against followers who resisted the fasting instructions.

One of the accused reportedly described how those who refused to comply were allegedly beaten and forced to continue fasting.

The court also heard that burials in the forest were referred to as “weddings”, reflecting the group’s belief that the dead had joined Jesus.



The convictions have brought a measure of relief to grieving families who lost relatives in the massacre.

Stephen Mwiti, 48, said all six of his children died in the forest. His former wife was among those convicted alongside Mackenzie.

Speaking outside court, Mwiti welcomed the verdict, telling the BBC: “I’m a happy man, that all persons have been convicted.”

More than 400 bodies were discovered in Shakahola Forest, near Kenya’s coast, following investigations that began after Mackenzie’s arrest in 2023. Many of the victims have yet to be identified.


Mackenzie founded Good News International Ministries in 2003. After the church closed in 2019, he moved followers to Shakahola Forest, where the deadly fasting practices came under investigation.

He and other associates are also facing separate legal proceedings involving terrorism, radicalisation and the alleged denial of education to children.

The November sentencing is expected to determine the punishment for the murder convictions, marking another major stage in the prosecution of the Shakahola massacre.