The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Good News International Church founder Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for his role in the Shakahola massacre, where 191 people, including 190 children, lost their lives.
Justice Diana Kavedza delivered the sentence on Friday, November 6, citing the seriousness of the crimes, the vulnerability of the victims, the responsibility of each convict and the devastating impact on affected families.
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Mackenzie received a 100-year prison sentence for 193 counts of murder by starvation. He was handed another 100 years for eight counts of murder through direct homicide involving children.
Although the sentences within each category will run concurrently, the two separate terms will run consecutively, bringing his total prison sentence to 200 years.
The prosecution had asked the court to impose the death penalty, arguing that the scale and brutality of the killings justified the harshest possible punishment.
However, Justice Kavedza declined to impose capital punishment, despite acknowledging that the circumstances of the case met the threshold for considering such a sentence under principles established in the Supreme Court’s Muruatetu ruling.
The judge explained that a death sentence would eliminate the possibility of rehabilitation and disengagement from the harmful practices associated with the offences.
In justifying the lengthy prison term, Kavedza highlighted how the convicts exploited religious authority and betrayed the trust of their followers, particularly parents who had entrusted them with the responsibility of protecting their children.
She observed that the evidence presented during the trial revealed that children were subjected to severe physical abuse as part of efforts to enforce the fasting instructions.
The court heard accounts linking Mackenzie to statements suggesting that followers would reach heaven through physical suffering, including being subjected to punches and kicks, even if they became crippled.
Additional evidence showed that followers who attempted to flee the Shakahola settlement were captured, threatened, whipped and confined in fasting facilities.
Justice Kavedza noted that children were particularly vulnerable because they lacked the capacity to make informed decisions about fasting and depended entirely on adults for their safety and survival.
She observed that the adults who were expected to protect them had failed in that responsibility, leaving the children exposed to abuse and unable to escape the circumstances that led to their deaths.
The court also considered the devastating consequences for surviving relatives, noting that some families had lost all their members, while others were left dependent on government assistance.
The judge further highlighted the lasting effects on survivors, including individuals who suffered permanent disabilities and whose lives were significantly disrupted by the tragedy.
In determining Mackenzie’s level of responsibility, Kavedza identified him as the principal figure behind the activities of Good News International Ministries and the Shakahola settlement.
She said he organised the movement of followers into the wilderness, chaired meetings where instructions to fast to death were issued and directed that children become the first victims.
Mackenzie was also found to have authorised violence against children who resisted the fasting directives or attempted to escape, while overseeing the burial of victims.
The court said its sentencing decision took into account several factors, including the level of planning, duration of the crimes, use of violence, exploitation of authority, treatment of vulnerable victims and efforts to conceal evidence.
Justice Kavedza also raised concerns over indications that some of the convicts intended to continue fasting to death, even while in custody or after their eventual release, highlighting the potential danger to the wider community.
The judge said the final sentences were determined after considering the circumstances of the offences, mitigating factors, victim impact statements and pre-sentence reports.
The 200-year sentence marks a significant development in the Shakahola massacre case, one of Kenya’s most devastating tragedies involving religious extremism and the exploitation of vulnerable followers.
