KEY POINTS
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Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants were convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult in Kenya’s Shakahola cult tragedy.
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A father, Stephen Mwiti, lost all six of his children, but only one child’s remains were identified.
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The defendants faced a possible death sentence at their scheduled November 6 hearing, while concerns remain over the continued spread of the cult’s teachings.
A Kenyan father who lost all six of his children in the Shakahola Forest starvation cult tragedy is struggling to cope with the loss as cult leader Paul Mackenzie prepares to be sentenced for the deaths of 191 people.
Stephen Mwiti, 48, said he feared that Mackenzie and his followers could continue spreading their teachings even if they were imprisoned. The sentencing hearing was scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026, after a court convicted Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants of murder last month.
Prosecutors said Mackenzie instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children to death in preparation for what he claimed would be the end of the world, promising that those who died would go to heaven.
Father loses all six children in Shakahola tragedy
Mwiti said all six of his children died after his wife took them to Shakahola Forest in 2022. His son Samuel, who was about seven years old when he entered the forest, was the only child whose remains could be identified.
Authorities recovered more than 400 bodies from the forest, but only 26 victims had been identified by the time of the Reuters report. Many of the bodies were severely decomposed, making identification difficult.
Mwiti said he wanted Mackenzie and the other defendants, including his wife, to be placed in solitary confinement if they received prison sentences. He feared they could influence other inmates and continue promoting the teachings associated with the deaths.
He also questioned Mackenzie’s claim that he had not forced anyone to starve, particularly because children were among the victims.
According to Mwiti, Samuel’s post-mortem examination indicated that the child died after being strangled, raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants face possible death sentence
Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants were convicted of murder in October 2026 over the deaths of 190 children and one adult.
They could face the death penalty at the sentencing hearing, although Kenya has not carried out an execution in decades.
Most of the defendants, including Mwiti’s wife, denied the charges. Mackenzie also maintained that he did not force his followers to starve themselves.
The Shakahola tragedy became one of the worst cult-related incidents in recent history and prompted investigations into the activities of religious groups operating in Kenya.
Authorities discover more bodies after Mackenzie’s arrest
Concerns about the continued spread of Mackenzie’s teachings persisted even after his arrest.
Kenyan authorities reportedly discovered dozens of additional bodies in a nearby village in 2025, which they linked to the same cult.
The discovery raised concerns that the group’s activities may have continued beyond the initial Shakahola Forest deaths.
Mwiti said he remained worried that Mackenzie’s followers could continue influencing vulnerable people if they were not prevented from spreading the teachings associated with the tragedy.
Father struggles with memories of his children
Four years after last seeing his children, Mwiti said their absence continued to affect his daily life.
He told Reuters that encountering children in public sometimes startled him, particularly when they resembled one of his deceased children.
At Samuel’s grave in Malindi, Mwiti held photographs of his children and some of their former school uniforms, which he had hoped to bury with them.
He described the photographs and clothing as the few memories he had left of his children.
Although Mackenzie and his co-defendants face sentencing, Mwiti said no punishment could restore the children he lost.
