Makenzi guilty of murder of 191 people in Shakahola Forest

Paul Mackenzi with his co-accused at Mombasa Law Courts on October 19, 2026. [Photo: Omondi Onyango, Standard]

The High Court has convicted Paul Makenzi and 28 others of murdering 191 people, 190 of them children, in Shakahola Forest.

Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the judgment in Mombasa on Monday, ruling that followers of Makenzi's Good News International Church died at the Kilifi County site after being ordered to starve so they could meet Jesus.

Makenzi had denied the charges, insisting that nobody was forced to die. The court rejected that argument.

Reading the judgment for more than eight hours, the judge said some children were isolated and denied food while their parents watched.

Makenzi and the 28 others will be sentenced on November 6.

The 191 counts relate to 11 identified children and 180 whose identities remain unknown.

The offences were committed between January 2021 and September 2023.

Authorities have recovered more than 400 bodies from shallow graves in the forest since April 2023, but only 26 have been identified.

Monday's judgment covered 191 deaths, while investigations into the others continue.

Mochache ruled on April 15 that the prosecution had established a prima facie case, placing all the accused on their defence.

Makenzi also faces separate cases, including terrorism, manslaughter and denying children education, all of which he has denied.