KENYA · COURTS
Key Facts
- The sentence Kenya’s High Court, its senior trial court, in Mombasa jailed preacher Paul Mackenzie for 200 years on Friday 6 November 2026.
- The crime He was convicted on 19 October 2026 of 191 murders, including 190 children, in Shakahola, a forest area in Kilifi County.
- The limit Prosecutors asked for the death penalty, but the court did not impose it.
- The others His 28 co-accused were sentenced alongside him; their terms are not yet fully reported.
A Kenyan court has sentenced Paul Mackenzie, a preacher who told followers to starve themselves to “meet Jesus”, to 200 years in prison. Justice Diana Kavedza of the High Court in Mombasa, Kenya’s main Indian Ocean port city, handed down the sentence on Friday 6 November 2026.
For US readers, the Paul Mackenzie sentence ends the first trial over a cult tragedy that shocked Kenya. Our earlier report on the guilty verdict explains how the case reached this point.
What Happened
Mackenzie, who led a church called Good News International Ministries, was convicted on Monday 19 October 2026 of 191 murders. The court found that he directed followers to fast to death, that children were targeted first, and that the fasting was enforced through religious indoctrination, intimidation and violence.
Mackenzie and 28 co-accused appeared in the Mombasa High Court on Friday morning to hear their sentences. The judge ordered a total of 200 years for Mackenzie, which is two 100-year terms served one after the other.
Prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kenya’s state prosecution service, had asked for the death penalty. The court did not impose it,.
The Paul Mackenzie Sentence Explained
A 200-year term is far longer than any lifetime, so the figure is largely symbolic. Whether Mackenzie can ever apply for early release is not stated in the public reports.
The two terms cover the starvation deaths and a smaller set of direct killings, according to the court’s reasoning as reported. Mackenzie’s 28 co-accused were sentenced in the same hearing, with each term reflecting the person’s role and level of involvement.
Their individual terms are not yet confirmed.
How Shakahola Became a Crime Scene
Shakahola is a stretch of bush in Kilifi County on Kenya’s coast, where Mackenzie’s followers settled and fasted. Investigators recovered more than 400 bodies from graves in the area.
The murder trial covered 191 of those deaths, and 190 of the victims were children. Other offences linked to Shakahola are handled separately from these convictions.
What It Means for You
The ruling is a criminal case, so it sets no new rules for visitors or investors in Kenya. Travellers to the coast should know that Shakahola is an inland forest area, not one of the beach resorts.
Readers in the United States who follow religious freedom and cult cases will see a Kenyan court rule on punishment for a religious leader. In this case the High Court treated forced religious fasting as murder, not as protected belief.
What Is Not Known
The individual sentences of the 28 co-accused are not yet confirmed in the public record we could check. It is also unclear whether Mackenzie or his co-accused will appeal, and whether any victims remain unaccounted for.
Where every victim lies is also not settled.
More: Kenya news in English, every day from The Rio Times. See also our guide to religion in Kenya.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Paul Mackenzie?
He is a Kenyan preacher who founded Good News International Ministries. The High Court in Mombasa convicted him on 19 October 2026 of 191 murders.
How Long Is the Sentence?
The court sentenced him to a total of 200 years in prison on Friday 6 November 2026. Prosecutors asked for the death penalty, which the judge did not impose.
Where Is Shakahola?
Shakahola is a forest area in Kilifi County on Kenya’s coast. Investigators recovered more than 400 bodies there.
What Happens to the Co-Accused?
Twenty-eight co-accused were sentenced in the same hearing, with terms based on their roles. Their individual terms are not yet fully reported.
Sources: High Court of Kenya at Mombasa, sentencing hearing before Justice Diana Kavedza, 6 November 2026, and judgment of 19 October 2026 (public proceedings); Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of Kenya, website checked 6 November 2026; Judiciary of Kenya, website checked 6 November 2026.
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