A Kenyan court has sentenced religious leader Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison over the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children, following a series of deadly fasting practices he allegedly directed among his followers.

Justice Diana Mochache handed down the sentence on Friday, November 6, 2026, after Mackenzie and 28 other defendants were convicted in October for their involvement in the killings associated with his religious movement in Shakahola Forest, near Kenya’s coastal region.

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The court found Mackenzie primarily responsible for encouraging his followers to undertake extreme fasting in the belief that starvation would enable them to meet Jesus.

He received a 100-year prison term for homicide and an additional 100 years for offences connected to starvation.

The sentences for each category will run concurrently, but the two categories will run consecutively, resulting in a total of 200 years behind bars.

According to the BBC, Justice Mochache described the killings as cold and calculated, emphasising that the punishment was intended to demonstrate the seriousness of the crimes and deter similar atrocities.

Mackenzie’s 28 co-defendants, including individuals accused of enforcing the fasting instructions and helping to bury victims, were also sentenced to various prison terms, with some receiving up to 160 years.

Although prosecutors had called for the death penalty, the judge rejected the request, stating that capital punishment would eliminate the possibility of rehabilitation.

The case attracted international attention in 2023 after Kenyan authorities discovered numerous bodies buried in shallow graves in Shakahola Forest.

More than 400 bodies have since been recovered from the area.

Investigations established that starvation was responsible for many of the deaths, while other victims reportedly died from suffocation, strangulation and head injuries.

Mackenzie established Good News International Ministries in 2003 and became notorious for sermons in which he reportedly condemned formal education and healthcare as evil.

He subsequently moved to Shakahola Forest, where he encouraged his followers to settle and participate in the religious practices that later became central to the investigation.

Throughout the proceedings, Mackenzie and his co-defendants denied the allegations, maintaining that none of the victims had been forced to die.