Kenyan self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie faces a possible death sentence after prosecutors urged a court to impose capital punishment for his role in the deaths of 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola Forest massacre.
Mackenzie is expected to be sentenced on Friday, Nov. 6, after being convicted alongside 28 co-accused of 191 counts of murder in October.
The prosecution urged the court to impose the death penalty, citing the scale of the killings and the danger posed by Mackenzie’s actions.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina said the prosecution supported capital punishment, subject to the court’s consideration of the convict’s mitigation, remorse, regret and prospects of rehabilitation.
The case stems from the activities of a religious sect associated with Mackenzie’s Good News International Church in coastal Kenya. Prosecutors said he instructed followers to starve themselves and their children to death in the belief that they would meet Jesus.
The sect’s activities came to public attention in April 2023 after authorities investigated reports of missing people and discovered emaciated survivors and shallow graves in Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi.
Investigators subsequently recovered more than 400 bodies from the area, making the incident one of the deadliest cult-related tragedies in recent history.
During the trial, the court heard evidence that Mackenzie and his associates used religious teachings and an organised hierarchy to enforce prolonged fasting among followers, beginning with children.
The court found that those who resisted were subjected to beatings, restraint and confinement.
The Kenya News Agency reported that Justice Diana Kavedza convicted all 29 defendants on the 191 murder counts, ruling that the prosecution had established their involvement in the deaths.
The trial heard testimony from about 120 prosecution witnesses, while forensic evidence linked several deaths to starvation, asphyxia, neck compression and head injuries.
The court rejected the defence argument that followers had voluntarily chosen to fast, stressing that children could not meaningfully consent to being deprived of food to the point of death.
Mackenzie has denied forcing his followers to starve themselves, and his lawyer has indicated plans to appeal the conviction.
Although Kenya retains the death penalty for serious crimes, the country has not carried out an execution since 1987.
A 2017 Supreme Court ruling abolished mandatory death sentences for murder, leaving judges with discretion to determine appropriate punishment after considering the circumstances of individual cases.
Prosecutors have also asked the court to impose life imprisonment on Mackenzie’s co-accused, arguing that they were deeply influenced by his teachings and could pose a risk of reoffending.
Mackenzie faces separate manslaughter and terrorism-related charges, which he denies.
The tragedy has renewed concerns about the regulation of religious organisations and the ability of authorities to intervene when religious teachings expose followers to serious harm.
Mackenzie had previously attracted police attention and was arrested before the Shakahola discoveries, raising questions about whether earlier intervention could have prevented the deaths.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights put the total number of bodies recovered from the forest at 429 in 2024, although not all were covered by the 191 murder convictions.
The sentencing is expected to mark a significant stage in the prosecution of one of Kenya’s most devastating cases of religious extremism and mass deaths.
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