# Kenyan Cult Leader Convicted of 191 Murders in Shakahola Starvation Case

> Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, and 28 co-accused were found guilty in Kenya of 191 counts of murder for the deaths of 190 children and one adult.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-20T14:50:49.212883Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/kenyan-cult-leader-convicted-of-191-murders-in-shakahola-starvation-case-045c2166

On October 19, 2026, a Kenyan court in Mombasa found Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the leader of the Good News International Church, and 28 co-accused guilty of 191 counts of murder, encompassing the deaths of 190 children and one adult [2][5][9][14]. Lady Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache presided over the judgment, rejecting Mackenzie's defense that the victims willingly fasted [5][7].

This verdict brings accountability for a mass tragedy where followers were instructed to starve themselves to death. The case has also revealed ongoing familial impacts, with Mackenzie's own son reporting his grandmother weeks before the verdict to protect younger siblings from similar practices [4].

## What the records show

The court affirmed that Mackenzie instructed followers, including children, to starve themselves to death to "meet Jesus" in the Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County [7][9]. The period of these deaths spanned from January 2021 to September 2023 [9][11]. Investigations began in April 2023, leading to the exhumation of over 400 bodies from mass graves in the forest [3][9]. The judgment explicitly states Mackenzie oversaw "an organized system that used religious teachings to compel followers to fast until they died" [7]. Sentencing for Mackenzie and the co-defendants is scheduled for November 6, 2026 [9].

## The timeline

Mackenzie founded the Good News International Church, also known as Good News International Ministries, in 2003 [10][12]. The church propagated an apocalyptic doomsday theology that dismissed essential services such as healthcare, education, and sports as "evils of western life" [10][18]. Following the discovery of mass graves, the Kenyan government designated Good News International Ministries as an organized criminal group on January 31, 2024, under the Prevention of Organized Crimes Act [18][19][20]. Mackenzie had been in police custody since mid-April 2023 following the initial discoveries [16][17].

## What changed and for whom

Weeks prior to the murder verdict, on October 7, 2026, Mackenzie's mother, Mama Anastacia Mumwele Mackenzie, was arrested in Malindi [4][8]. Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers rescued eight children from her custody, including five of Mackenzie's own children and three relatives [4]. The children, aged six to fourteen, were reportedly withdrawn from school and subjected to forced religious fasting [4][8]. This intervention was prompted by a tip-off from Paul Nthenge Mackenzie's firstborn son, Dan Mackenzie [1][4]. Dan Mackenzie reported his grandmother to protect his younger siblings, stating he "felt he had to report his own grandmother" despite initially defending his father [1][4].

## What the subject has said publicly

Paul Nthenge Mackenzie's defense, presented during the trial, was that the victims had willingly fasted [7][9]. However, the court explicitly rejected this claim, affirming that he instructed his followers to starve themselves [7][9].

## What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the current legal status or specific charges, if any, against Mama Anastacia Mumwele Mackenzie following her arrest.

## Evidence cited
1. Kenya cult leader's children still being starved weeks before trial, son says (www.bbc.co.uk) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6d7q2rxqxgxo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
2. Kenyan starvation cult leader guilty of murder of 190 children and one adult (www.theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/19/kenya-starvation-cult-leader-guilty-murder-190-children
3. Cult Leader Convicted of Mass Murder by Court in Kenya (www.nytimes.com) — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/world/africa/kenya-cult-deaths-paul-mackenzie-court-ruling.html
4. Kenya cult leader's children still being starved weeks before trial, son says (BBC) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/
5. Kenyan starvation cult leader guilty of murder of 190 children and one adult (The Guardian) — https://www.theguardian.com/
6. Cult Leader Convicted of Mass Murder by Court in Kenya (The New York Times) — https://www.nytimes.com/
7. Justice Diana Kavedza ruled that Pastor Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, oversaw an organized system that used religious teachings to compel followers to fast until they died. (Los Angeles Times) — https://latimes.com/
8. DCI officers have arrested the mother of controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and rescued eight children she is alleged to have withdrawn from school and subjected to fasting. (The Star) — https://the-star.co.ke/
9. Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been convicted of 191 counts of murder involving 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola starvation cult tragedy. A Mombasa court rejected claims that victims voluntarily fasted, finding Mackenzie and 28 others guilty. More than 400 bodies have been recovered from Shakahola Forest, with sentencing scheduled for November 6. (YouTube) — https://youtube.com/
10. Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, pastor of Good News International Church in Kenya, led the Malindi Cult, a William Branham Message sect whose apocalyptic teachings helped produce the Shakahola Massacre. — https://william-branham.org/
11. It was based in Shakahola, Kilifi County, Kenya. Other names for the movement include Good News International Church and Servant P. N. Mackenzie Ministries. The movement was commonly called the Shakahola cult. While most of the group's  (Wikipedia) — https://wikipedia.org/
12. Good News International Ministries established 17th August, 2003 by the servant of God P N Mackenzie. The church has branches in various regions around Kenya (Nairobi, Watamu, Malindi, Kitale, Machakos, Naivasha, Mombasa, Mwea, Lunga Lunga, Matano manne) and Headquartered in Malindi Furunzi area. — https://blogspot.com/
13. High Court finds Paul Mackenzie, his 30 co-accused guilty of all 191 counts of murder for the deaths of 190 children and one adult in Shakahola. More to follow... (Nation) — https://nation.co.ke/
14. MOMBASA, Kenya, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Monday found starvation cult leader Paul Mackenzie and about 30 others guilty of murder over the deaths of 190 children and one adult in one of the world's worst cult-related disasters in recent hist... (WTVB) — https://wtvbam.com/
15. Starvation cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 28 others were found guilty of murder by a Kenyan court on Monday over the deaths of 190 children and an adult in one of the world's worst cult-related tragedies in recent history. (CTV News) — https://ctvnews.ca/
16. Cult leader Paul Mackenzie Nthenge arrested as more bodies found in Kenya forest (theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/22/cult-leader-paul-mackenzie-nthenge-kenya-starvation-deaths
17. Kenya Cult Deaths: Report Points to Failures in Security and Justice Systems (voaafrica.com) — https://www.voaafrica.com/a/7321528.html
18. Good News International Ministries - Wikipedia (Wikipedia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_News_International_Ministries
19. Shakahola Forest massacre - Wikipedia (Wikipedia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakahola_Forest_massacre
20. Kithure Kindiki outlaws Paul Mackenzie's Good News International Ministries Church (tuko.co.ke) — https://www.tuko.co.ke/kenya/536709-kithure-kindiki-outlaws-paul-mackenzies-good-news-international-ministries-church/
21. Govt Declares Mackenzie's Church An Organized Criminal Group (capitalfm.co.ke) — https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2024/01/govt-declares-mackenzies-church-an-organized-criminal-group/
22. Kindiki declares Mackenzie's 'church' an organised criminal group (nation.africa) — https://nation.africa/kenya/news/kindiki-declares-mackenzie-s-church-an-organised-criminal-group-4511060