{
  "id": 15629291,
  "title": "Court convicts all 29 Shakahola accused of murder, sets sentencing for November 6",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/court-convicts-all-29-shakahola-accused-of-murder-sets-sentencing-for",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T16:18:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Capital FM Kenya",
    "slug": "capital-fm-kenya",
    "url": "https://capitalfm.africa/court-convicts-all-29-shakahola-accused-of-murder-sets-sentencing-for-november-6/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The High Court in Kenya has convicted all 29 accused individuals in the Shakahola starvation cult case, implicating them in the murder of 191 people, including 190 children. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 6, with each convicted individual to be present in court. The judge dismissed the defense argument that the victims voluntarily fasted to death, deeming the prosecution's case against all 29 accused sufficient for the murder charges under Section 203 of the Penal Code. Paul Mackenzie, the self-proclaimed pastor at the center of the investigation, was among those convicted on all 191 murder counts. The case originated from the Shakahola tragedy in Kilifi County, where followers allegedly died after being subjected to extreme fasting practices. The court ordered individual probation officers for each convict, who will submit pre-sentence reports by October 30. The investigation uncovered that the deaths were linked to starvation, strangulation, head injuries, and dehydration, with forensic evidence supporting these findings.",
  "summary": "The court has convicted all 29 accused in the Shakahola starvation cult case linked to Paul Mackenzie over the deaths of 190 children and one adult, with sentencing scheduled for November 6.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "AllAfrica",
        "title": "Kenya: Court Convicts All 29 Shakahola Accused of Murder, Sets Sentencing for November 6",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/kenya-court-convicts-all-29-shakahola-accused-of-murder-sets",
        "published": "2026-10-19T16:36:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}