Mackenzie to Spend 200 Years in Prison as Court Reveals How Sentences Will Run

Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie will spend 200 years in prison after the High Court in Mombasa explained how the sentences imposed over the Shakahola massacre will be served.

Lady Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache delivered the sentence on Friday, November 6, 2026, ordering Mackenzie to serve separate 100-year prison terms for murder by starvation and direct homicide.

According to the court, Mackenzie received 100 years for each of the 191 starvation-related murder counts. These comprised one count involving an adult victim and 190 counts involving children. All the sentences under this category will run concurrently, meaning they will be served at the same time.

He was also handed 100 years for each of the eight counts of murder by direct homicide involving child victims. These sentences will similarly run concurrently.

However, the judge directed that the two categories of sentences run consecutively rather than concurrently. This means the second 100-year term will begin after the first one, bringing Mackenzie’s aggregate prison sentence to 200 years.

“The sentences in subparagraphs A and B shall run consecutively, making an aggregate sentence of 200 years for convict Paul Mackenzie,” Justice Kavedza ruled.

The other accused persons received prison terms ranging from 10 to 160 years, depending on their individual responsibility and involvement in the crimes. Most received aggregate sentences of 160 years, while some were additionally ordered to undergo three years of probation.

Unlike Mackenzie, the other convicts will be assessed for possible participation in a disengagement, deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programme recommended by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

The judge proposed that eligible convicts who have served one-third or half of their custodial sentences could apply for a sentence review. Such applications would require certification from the NCTC and regional authorities confirming that the individuals had disengaged and were ready for reintegration into society.

During sentencing, the court said the punishment was intended to achieve retribution, denunciation and deterrence, taking into account the scale of the crimes and the suffering experienced by victims’ families.

The prosecution had sought the death penalty for Mackenzie. However, Justice Kavedza said capital punishment was discretionary and reserved for exceptional circumstances.

She explained that keeping him alive could preserve the possibility of obtaining information about missing children, particularly the whereabouts of their remains.

“The death sentence will foreclose the possibility of disengagement and rehabilitation. It would also extinguish the possibility that a living convict may disclose the location of the remains of the missing children,” she stated.

The sentencing followed the October 19 judgment in which Mackenzie and 28 co-accused were found guilty on all 191 counts after the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The court had established that Mackenzie, who led Good News International Ministries, directed followers to starve themselves to death in an attempt to meet Jesus. Children were targeted first before the practice spread to young people, women and men.

The judge further found that the fasting was not voluntary but was enforced through organised religious indoctrination, intimidation and violence.

Feng_FK feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com