By the 254.ke Newsroom.
A Mombasa High Court has found Shakahola preacher Paul Mackenzie guilty of murdering 191 people, nearly all of them children, in the Shakahola forest in Kilifi County. Justice Diana Mochache delivered the verdict on Monday, October 19, 2026, and set sentencing for November 6, 2026. As of October 22, no sentence has been passed.
What did the court decide on October 19?
According to Al Jazeera and The Star, Mackenzie and 28 co-accused were convicted of murder over deaths that occurred between January 2021 and September 2023. The Star reports that 31 accused persons faced 191 counts of murder under sections 203 and 204 of the Penal Code. Both outlets report that all but one of the victims were children; The Star puts the number of children under 16 at 190, plus one adult.
The Star says the judgment ran to about 1,000 pages and took roughly eight hours to read. The court heard 120 prosecution witnesses and nine defence witnesses, and relied on sermon recordings, forensic transcripts and survivor testimony. Twelve child survivors testified in camera under pseudonyms, the paper reports.
Key facts at a glance
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict date | Monday, October 19, 2026 | Al Jazeera, The Star |
| Court and judge | High Court, Mombasa; Justice Diana Mochache | Al Jazeera, The Star |
| Convicted | Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-accused | Al Jazeera, The Star |
| Victims named in verdict | 191, all but one children | Al Jazeera, The Star |
| Period covered | January 2021 to September 2023 | Al Jazeera |
| Sentencing date | November 6, 2026 | Al Jazeera, The Star |
How did the Shakahola deaths happen?
The Star reports that the court found followers were told to fast “to meet Jesus”, in an order that began with children, then youth, women and men, with Mackenzie and his family last. Prosecutors told the court he “initiated and directed” the extreme fasting, Al Jazeera reports.
Exhumations were carried out in four phases between April and July 2023 and recovered 429 bodies from mass graves, according to The Star. Postmortems supervised by Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor attributed most identifiable deaths to starvation. In 110 cases the cause could not be established because of decomposition. The Star says the inquiry began after a witness report at Lango Baya Police Station on March 17, 2023.
Why do the numbers differ between reports?
Several figures vary by outlet, and neither report reconciles them. Al Jazeera says Kenyan authorities have put the death toll above 400, while the verdict covers 191 victims; The Star’s 429 figure refers to bodies exhumed, not to counts in the judgment. Al Jazeera describes an 800-acre ranch, whereas The Star says the settlement covered about 4,860 acres within Chakama Ranch. 254.ke has used the figures each outlet attributes to the court record and flags the gaps rather than choosing between them.
Al Jazeera also reports that the defendants pleaded not guilty to other charges, including terrorism, radicalisation and stopping children from attending school. Neither report says how the court ruled on those charges, and this article does not state an outcome.
What happens next?
The sentencing hearing on November 6 is the next step. Neither report states what penalty prosecutors will seek or what the law allows for each count, and neither mentions mitigation or an appeal. We will update this article when the court issues its sentence.
Al Jazeera reports that relatives attended the verdict. Francis Wanje, 62, who lost eight family members including two grandchildren, said it has been “a heavy thing” for the family. The outlet also notes continuing calls for tougher regulation of religious organisations and criticism of the government for not detecting the group earlier. Official court records and notices are published by the Judiciary of Kenya.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Paul Mackenzie?
He is the preacher at the centre of the Shakahola case, who was arrested in 2023 after the mass graves were discovered in Kilifi County.
How many people was he convicted of killing?
The court found Mackenzie and his co-accused guilty of murdering 191 people, according to Al Jazeera and The Star.
When will he be sentenced?
Sentencing is set for November 6, 2026. No sentence has been announced yet.
Has the full judgment been published?
The Star says it runs to about 1,000 pages. Readers should check the Judiciary of Kenya for any official release.
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