Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Ingonga has celebrated the conviction of self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 28 others for 191 murders related to the Shakahola tragedy in Kilifi County.

Justice Diana Kavedza of the Mombasa High Court convicted the 29 defendants on Monday, October 19, 2026, after a hearing which she believed the prosecution proved their case beyond reasonable doubt. The convicted are charged with causing the death of 190 children and one adult who were undergoing extreme fasting in the faith of the accused persons’ affiliated Good News International Church.

The controversies surrounding the Shakahola forest began in 2023 when mass graves were unearthed in the woods. Serious crime investigations were then opened up by the police as they uncovered crimes of aggravated dimensions committed against innocent civilians.

The DPP, Renson Inonga, in his reaction to the conviction, congratulated the prosecutors and commended the investigative agencies for their role in the case. He also noted that the successful outcome was achieved through the presentation of witness testimonies and scientific forensic evidence related to the deaths of the victims and the modus operandi of the criminals.

The court reviewed the defense arguments that the fasting-related deaths of the victims were carried out willingly as religious fanatics and found them not to be tenable.

The case is considered a major step in the long line of legal proceedings involving the Shakahola tragedy, which involved child abuse and left many widows and orphans in the wake of the wake-up call.

Hundreds of bodies were retrieved from the forest by the crime scene investigators during the investigative phase of the case. The 191 murder convictions for which Mackenzie and 28 others were jailed represent just a fraction of the fatalities that resulted from the Shakahola inhuman activities.

The self-proclaimed pastor faces additional charges of various serious crimes under different criminal provisions of the Penal Code for his role in the Shakahola scandal.

The next hearing will take place on November 6, 2026, when the convicted will appear before the court as the judges deliberate on their sentences. The DPP office sees the convictions as a closure to the families of the victims in terms of justice.