Kenyan Court Sentences Paul Mackenzie to 200 Years in Shakahola Murders

Sentence in Mombasa

November 6, 2026 · 11:00 a.m. Central / 8:00 p.m. in Kenya

A Kenyan court on Friday sentenced preacher Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola case.

Justice Diana Kavedza delivered the sentence in Mombasa after Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants were convicted in October. Defense lawyer Lawrence Obonyo told The Associated Press he had already launched an appeal.

The court found that Mackenzie, who led the Good News International Church, directed followers to fast to death in the belief they would meet Jesus. The case concerns 191 specific victims; more than 400 bodies were recovered in the broader Shakahola investigation, according to AP.

How the sentence was calculated

Of the 191 victims in the murder case, 183 died of starvation and eight children died by direct homicide, the judge said. Kenya’s Daily Nation reported that the court grouped concurrent terms into two 100-year sentences, one for each category, and ordered those groups served consecutively.

Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Mackenzie. Obonyo, who also represents several other convicted defendants, told AP he was challenging the decision; a sentence and an appeal are separate stages of the case.

AP reported that assistant pastor Smart Mwakalama was sentenced to 160 years. Other defendants received different terms. The sentencing does not resolve separate charges Mackenzie faces in other cases.

The wider investigation

Authorities began uncovering bodies in 2023 at a remote site in coastal Kilifi County. The court case focused on deaths of children and one adult; it should not be confused with the full number of bodies found across the wider investigation.

One father, Suleiman Ziro, told AP he lost six children and his wife and had traveled to the sentencing. He said the punishment was insufficient and that he had not yet recovered the bodies of his loved ones.

During the October verdict, the court found all 29 defendants guilty on the 191 murder counts, Kenya News Agency reported. Mackenzie also faces separate terrorism, manslaughter, child-abuse and torture charges, according to AP; those cases must be resolved separately.

Where the court ruled

The star marks the approximate center of Mombasa, Kenya, not an individual site.

The case timeline

Dates are local to Kenya.

1. 2023 Authorities uncovered bodies at the Shakahola site in Kilifi County.
2. October 19, 2026 The High Court convicted Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants on 191 murder counts.
3. November 6, 2026 The court imposed sentences; a defense lawyer said an appeal had been launched.

Reporting on the sentence

Unreported World shared an account of the sentencing on X. The case details above are drawn from court reporting by AP and Kenyan outlets.

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Sources and visual credits

Associated Press · Daily Nation · Kenya News Agency · Unreported World on X.

Hero and thumbnail: conceptual memorial illustration, not a photograph or reconstruction. Map: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.