Kenyan preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 co-accused have been found guilty of murdering 191 people linked to his religious movement, following allegations that followers were instructed to starve themselves and their children in preparation for meeting Jesus. The case stems from the Shakahola Forest tragedy, where hundreds of bodies were discovered in 2023.
A Kenyan court has convicted controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 other individuals over the deaths of 191 people associated with his religious group, in a landmark ruling connected to the mass fatalities uncovered in Shakahola Forest.
The accused were found guilty of murder after prosecutors presented allegations that followers had been encouraged to undertake extreme fasting, including depriving children of food, as part of preparations to meet Jesus. The defendants had pleaded not guilty, with members of the group maintaining that followers had not been forced to die.
Delivering an eight-hour judgment, Justice Diana Mochache heard evidence concerning the influence Mackenzie allegedly exercised over his followers. The court was told that some members regarded the preacher as a direct representative of Jesus and followed his teachings without question.
Evidence presented during the proceedings also indicated that deaths within the settlement were sometimes described as religious ceremonies. According to testimony heard by the court, burials in the forest were referred to as “weddings”, with deceased followers portrayed as having joined Jesus.
One witness described the circumstances surrounding the death of a newborn baby whose mother was allegedly prevented from breastfeeding the child because she had been instructed to fast until death and follow her children.
The proceedings also featured testimony about alleged pressure on followers who resisted the fasting instructions. A co-accused reportedly told the court that Mackenzie had directed that those unwilling to fast be forced towards death through physical violence.
Mackenzie is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6. He and other members of the group are also facing separate proceedings involving allegations of terrorism, radicalisation and denying children access to education. The murder conviction represents a major development in the legal action arising from the Shakahola deaths.
More Than 400 Bodies Recovered from Shakahola Forest
The case attracted international attention in 2023 after Kenyan authorities announced the discovery of more than 400 bodies buried in shallow graves across Shakahola Forest, near the country’s coastal region.
Investigators linked the deaths to followers who had travelled from different parts of Kenya to join Mackenzie’s religious community. The scale of the discoveries prompted extensive recovery operations and investigations into the activities of the group.
Workers recruited from a nearby town assisted in exhuming the remains. Some reportedly received approximately $8 a day for the difficult work.
One gravedigger, identified as James in a BBC report, recalled that several graves contained multiple bodies, including those of very young children. Workers also described finding remains of children whose limbs had allegedly been tied and whose bodies had been wrapped in bedsheets.
Another worker, Salim Karisa, said residents sometimes transported people into the forest on motorcycles without understanding the full extent of what was taking place within the settlement.
According to accounts from local residents, the group maintained a secretive way of life that made it difficult for outsiders to establish what was happening inside the forest.
Many victims came from other parts of Kenya, although some were known to residents of nearby Shakahola, where members of the group reportedly obtained supplies and collected water from the Galana River.
Father Says Six Children Died in the Forest
The tragedy has left families across Kenya struggling with devastating losses. Among them is Stephen Mwiti, 48, who said all six of his children died after becoming involved with Mackenzie’s movement.
Mwiti’s former wife was among those convicted alongside the preacher. Speaking about his loss in an interview with the BBC, he expressed deep anger over the deaths of his children.
He said he had recovered and buried only the remains of his son, Samuel, while the fate or identification of the other remains continued to weigh heavily on him.
Mwiti also blamed the influence of Mackenzie’s television sermons for drawing his family into the movement. The preacher had operated a television station through which his religious messages were broadcast from Malindi, a coastal town approximately 70 kilometres from Shakahola.
Mackenzie’s Teachings and the Growth of His Religious Movement
Mackenzie established Good News International Ministries in 2003. Over the following years, the church attracted followers through branches in different parts of Kenya and operated a television station known as Times TV.
His teachings reportedly included claims that formal education was evil, medical treatment conflicted with religious beliefs and digital identity cards represented the mark of the devil.
These doctrines became a central part of accounts describing life within the forest settlement, where former followers said access to medication was discouraged or prohibited.
Dan Paul Mackenzie, the preacher’s son, said he had worked as a cameraman for the church. He recalled that worship services involved singing and congregational gatherings before his father delivered sermons, some of which included what he described as the casting out of demons.
The church’s main branch closed in 2019. Mackenzie subsequently relocated to Shakahola Forest and encouraged followers to join him there.
Survivors Describe Fasting and Denial of Medical Care
Peter Shukrani, now 23, said he had attended Mackenzie’s church from the age of eight and considered the preacher his spiritual father. He later moved to the forest with his mother.
Shukrani recounted becoming seriously ill while living in the settlement. He said he could not obtain the medication he needed because his mother believed medical treatment was forbidden under Mackenzie’s teachings.
According to his account, residents lived in mud houses scattered across the forest and observed prolonged periods of fasting, sometimes eating only small quantities of food after several days without meals.
Shukrani was rescued in March 2023 after spending weeks bedridden as his health deteriorated. He said he believed he would have died if rescuers had not removed him from the settlement.
His account highlighted the dangers faced by followers who relied on the group’s teachings instead of seeking medical assistance.
Despite his experiences, Shukrani had continued to defend Mackenzie before the verdict, arguing that members had chosen to fast because of their religious convictions rather than through direct coercion.
Identification of Victims Remains a Challenge
The recovery operation presented major difficulties for investigators because many bodies had decomposed significantly before they were discovered.
Some victims remain unidentified, and court records have used descriptions such as “unknown male child” to distinguish individuals according to the location of their graves and the dates their remains were recovered.
The difficulty in identifying victims has added to the suffering of families seeking answers about missing relatives and has complicated efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding individual deaths.
Dan Paul Mackenzie, however, said his father should be held responsible, arguing that the preacher occupied a position of authority over the group and that followers looked to him for direction.
Murder Convictions Mark a Major Development in the Case
The convictions of Paul Mackenzie and his 29 co-accused represent a significant development in the legal response to the Shakahola tragedy.
The case has raised serious questions in Kenya about religious extremism, the protection of children, oversight of religious organisations and the responsibility of authorities to intervene when vulnerable people may be at risk.
Although the murder verdict addresses the most serious charges in this proceeding, separate legal cases involving terrorism, radicalisation and children’s rights remain part of the wider judicial process.
The case continues to draw attention to the consequences of extreme religious practices and the importance of protecting individuals from abuse while ensuring that allegations are addressed through evidence and due process.
