Paul Mackenzie: Controversial Pastor Sentenced to 200 Years in Prison for Shakahola Cult Murders

• Kenya cult leader Paul Mackenzie was convicted of murdering 191 people, almost all of them children, in Shakahola forest
• Mackenzie and more than two dozen followers ran an organised system that directed parents to starve their children to death
• The Mombasa High Court handed down the sentence after more than 400 bodies were recovered from shallow graves in 2023

Popular Kenyan doomsday prophet and cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison by the Mombasa High Court after being found guilty of the murder of 191 people, all but one of them children.

According to BBC Africa reports, the self-styled pastor was convicted alongside 27 followers for running an organised system inside Shakahola forest, near the Kenyan coast, in which parents were instructed to starve their children to death so they could "meet Jesus."

Paul Mackenzie, the founder of Good News International Ministries and a former taxi driver, was recently found guilty of murder in October 2026, in connection with the deaths.

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Speaking at his sentencing, Justice Diana Mochache said the cult leader bore the "primary criminal culpability" for ordering his followers to fast to death.

"The sentence is appropriate and just, to send an unmistakable message that such atrocities warrant the maximum penalties allowed by law," the judge added.

Paul Mackenzie's arrest and the Shakahola discovery

Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after authorities discovered more than 400 bodies buried in shallow graves across the Shakahola forest.

The atrocity came to public attention in March 2023 after a survivor escaped and reported what was happening inside the forest.

The scale of the deaths shocked the country and drew widespread international attention to the activities of the Kenyan pastor's religious sect.

Investigators established that Mackenzie exercised significant control over his followers, using religious doctrine to persuade families to participate in the mass starvation of their own children.

The controversial prophet's co-accused, numbering over two dozen, were similarly found guilty of their roles in the organised cult network.

The Instagram post announcing the sentencing of Paul Mackenzie is below:

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Reactions to Paul Mackenzie's 200-year sentence

The verdict has drawn a range of responses on social media, with many questioning both the sentence and the scope of the conviction.

YEN.com.gh compiled some reactions from social media users below:

@salimagarba wrote:

"That is too small. I hope they also punish the parents."

@k_kyvonne commented:

"So more than 400 bodies were found, but he was found guilty of 191 people. Someone make it make sense."

@jhene_komah added:

"That is a small sentence for taking 200 lives."

South African pastor and wife arrested

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a South African pastor and his wife were arrested after around 200 people were allegedly found in distressing conditions at an unregistered rehabilitation centre in Mpumalanga.

Some occupants were reportedly chained together, and 14 people needed urgent medical care.

The couple faced charges including kidnapping, but the allegations have yet to be proven in court.

Source: YEN.com.gh