A Kenyan doomsday preacher who told his followers that starving to death would let them “meet Jesus” has been found guilty of the murder of 191 people, all but one of them children.
Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the self-proclaimed pastor behind the Good News International Church, sat in the Mombasa High Court on Monday as Lady Justice Diana Kavedza delivered a verdict that lasted more than eight hours and ran to roughly 1,000 pages.
The court convicted Mackenzie and 28 co-accused, including his deputy Smart Deri Mwakalama, of every one of the 191 murder counts. Sentencing is scheduled for 6 November. Mackenzie still faces separate charges of terrorism and radicalisation.
Justice Kavedza ruled that the deaths were not the result of voluntary fasting, as the defence claimed. Instead, she found an organised system in which religious teachings, a rigid hierarchy, guards and violence were used to force followers, especially children, to stop eating and drinking until they died.
“The evidence before me establishes precisely such a development,” the judge said. “Mackenzie’s followers were first whipped through an established religious and communications network. They were subsequently directed to relocate. Once at the settlement, they were directed to fast.”
Children first, then the women
Prosecutors described a grim sequence. Children were to die first, followed by young people, women, men, and finally Mackenzie and his own family. Those who resisted were beaten, restrained, confined or locked inside mud huts. Child survivors told the court they were denied food and water even when supplies were available, and that parents reported them to Mackenzie if they asked for water or tried to eat.
One rescued minor described being moved because he and others “were not dying fast enough.” Another said Mackenzie prayed over him that the “spirit” making him ask for food and water would leave so he could join his creator. Parents were told that any child who died after Mackenzie’s own children would not enter heaven, pushing families to accelerate their children’s deaths.
Burials were called “harusi”, weddings, and the dead were celebrated as “shujaa wa imani,” or heroes of faith. Graves were dug at night, flattened and concealed. Gravediggers later described finding infants only weeks old and, in one grave, 12 children’s bodies laid out “like clothes, one on top of another.”
Forensic evidence linked 76 deaths directly to starvation; others were attributed to asphyxia, neck compression or head injuries. Many more could not be fully assessed because of advanced decomposition. In total, authorities have exhumed 429 bodies from the remote Shakahola forest in Kilifi County. The 191 counts in this trial represent only part of the wider horror.
From taxi driver to TV preacher
Mackenzie, now in his early 50s, was a taxi driver in Nairobi before founding Good News International Ministries with his wife in Malindi in 2003. The church grew to thousands of followers across Kenya. He broadcast apocalyptic sermons on his own station, Times TV, denouncing education as evil, modern medicine as satanic, digital identity cards as “the mark of the devil,” and democracy itself as derived from “demon.”
After authorities forced the church and TV station to shut in 2019, Mackenzie moved to the vast Shakahola forest. Followers sold property, withdrew children from school and relocated to mud huts in a settlement divided into villages with biblical names. Guards prevented people from leaving. Mackenzie reportedly told followers he would be the last to die, closing the door on earth after everyone else had ascended.
Families destroyed
Stephen Mwiti told reporters he lost all six of his children in the forest and was only able to bury one son after DNA identification. Francis Wanje, 62, lost eight family members, including two grandchildren. A retired teacher described seeing the abandoned home and graves of his daughter, son-in-law and three young grandchildren. Many parents among the accused watched their own children waste away.
Survivors spoke of being beaten for stealing food after days without eating or drinking, of siblings dying in front of them, and of being told they were “delaying the journey to heaven.” Some were rescued naked with their legs bound. Doctors who treated survivors described severe emaciation and dehydration.
Mackenzie’s own son, Dan, has said his father should be held responsible as the leader people looked up to. Other relatives and former followers have remained loyal, insisting no one was forced.
A packed courtroom and a long road ahead
The courtroom was packed and high-security. Mackenzie, dressed simply, sat largely impassive as the judge detailed the suffering. Two co-accused died during the trial; charges against them were withdrawn. A former associate had already pleaded guilty to the 191 counts earlier this year.
Justice Kavedza noted that children cannot consent to being starved and that many were coerced, tied up or locked away. The prosecution called 123 witnesses, including child victims, supported by digital recordings, journals, DNA, medical reports and physical evidence from the graves.
Kenyan authorities have described the case as one of the country’s most consequential criminal trials. President William Ruto has previously said Mackenzie’s beliefs were contrary to authentic religion. The verdict does not end the legal process: investigations continue into remaining deaths, and Mackenzie faces further charges.
For the families of the 190 children and one adult named in these counts, and for the relatives of the many still unidentified among the 429 recovered bodies, Monday’s guilty verdict is a milestone, not the end. Sentencing on 6 November will determine how many years the man who promised heaven will spend behind bars.
A note on comments: Our advertisers enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy on racism, hate speech, and threats of violence. Any comment that crosses that line will be removed and the account permanently banned — no warnings. Debate hard, but keep it civil.