Kenyan preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 co-accused have been found guilty over the deaths of 191 people, 190 of them children, in the Shakahola tragedy in Kilifi County. The Mombasa High Court issued its decision on Monday, concluding that an organised religious system had imposed fatal fasting practices on followers.
Court Finds Organised System Behind Deaths
Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache ruled that religious doctrine was used to direct, control and enforce extreme fasting that led to the deaths. The convictions mark a major stage in proceedings arising from one of Kenya’s deadliest suspected cult cases.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the ruling established that the group relied on religious teachings and a formal internal hierarchy to exercise control over adherents. Followers were allegedly pressured into fasting to the point of death.
- Members were instructed to relocate to Shakahola.
- The fasting programme was allegedly introduced in stages, beginning with children.
- Guards reportedly stopped followers from leaving or evading the practice.
- The deaths occurred under a structure designed to impose and maintain compliance with the group’s teachings.
Evidence Included Survivors, Forensics and Exhumations
The prosecution followed a broad investigation built around testimony from 123 witnesses, including child survivors. Investigators supported these accounts with digital recordings, medical and forensic findings, DNA testing, physical evidence and expert analysis.
Crime-scene teams recovered bodies from homes and burial sites, including mass graves. Examinations of the sites and subsequent postmortem work documented the scale of the deaths.
- Authorities conducted 190 postmortem examinations.
- Medical evidence determined that 76 victims died of starvation.
- Other causes of death were also identified during the examinations.
- Investigators carried out exhumations, forensic pathology assessments and evidence-preservation work.
The court commended investigators for documenting the scenes, overseeing the exhumations, conducting pathology work and securing material for trial. Those efforts, it said, had created “a firm foundation for the administration of justice.”
Good News International Church Declared a Cult
The court found that Good News International Church, established by Mackenzie in 2010, functioned as a cult. The group was accused of teaching that the world’s end was imminent while isolating members from outside society.
Its alleged practices included discouraging followers from accessing education or medical care and promoting severe fasting as a route to heaven. The findings linked those teachings to the system of control identified by the court.
Investigators Welcome Milestone Verdict
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations described the convictions as a landmark outcome and said the decision represented a significant advance for victims and their relatives.
“The DCI welcomes the judgment as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families,” the agency said.
It added that the case underlined the value of detailed investigations, forensic capacity and prosecutions based on evidence in bringing those responsible for grave offences to account.
