Kenyan Court Convicts Paul Mackenzie for Mass Deaths

On October 19, a Mombasa High Court, presided over by Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache, convicted Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 other defendants for their roles in the deaths of 191 individuals, including 190 children, in the Shakahola massacre in Kilifi County. The court determined that the deaths resulted from an organized system where religious teachings were allegedly manipulated to enforce extreme fasting among followers.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) described the judgment as a landmark in prosecuting one of Kenya's most horrific mass-death cases. Evidence presented included testimonies from 123 witnesses, digital recordings, forensic reports, and medical examinations.

The court found that Mackenzie’s Good News International Church, founded in 2010, operated as a cult that discouraged medical treatment and education while promoting extreme fasting. Investigators documented crime scenes and conducted 190 postmortem examinations, revealing that 76 victims died from starvation.