The son of Shakahola cult leader Paul Mackenzie has spoken about the abuse he says he suffered as a child inside his father's religious movement. He says he is relieved that his father has been convicted.

Dan Mackenzie, 24, spoke to the media after the High Court in Mombasa found Mackenzie and his co-accused guilty on Monday, 19 October 2026.

"I was forced when I was young, when I was 12, to fast for a whole week," he said, as reported by Kenyans.co.ke.

Beaten for resisting

Dan said church members beat him for resisting the church's rules. He described being beaten for nearly three hours to force him to attend a service, and being stripped naked during the incident. His account did not establish that his father personally carried out the beating.

He said his relationship with his father broke down and his father told him he was on his own. He left school after Class Seven and became a boda boda rider in Malindi. He considers himself a victim of the movement.

"Justice has been served"

Dan said he felt relieved by the verdict and believed justice had been served for the victims and their families. He said his father had accused him of betrayal, but he does not know why and has nothing more to say to him.

Five of his younger siblings, three sisters and two brothers, were rescued and are living at a rescue centre.

The verdict

Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache convicted Mackenzie and his co-accused on all 191 counts of murder linked to the Shakahola tragedy. The counts relate to the deaths of 190 children and one adult. Sentencing is set for 6 November 2026.

The Shakahola forest deaths came to light in 2023, when bodies were exhumed from shallow graves in Kilifi County. Mackenzie's Good News International Church had told followers to starve themselves "to meet Jesus". It is one of the deadliest cult-related tragedies in modern history.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke