The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has asked the High Court to take an unconvectional approach in sentencing Shakahola massacre convict Enos Amanya, popularly known as “Haleluya.”

They proposed an 11-year structured sentence that blends punishment with rehabilitation rather than straightforward imprisonment.

Appearing before Justice Diana Kavedza in Mombasa, the prosecution through Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina, proposed that the 11-year term factor in the three years Amanya has already served on remand, leaving eight years to be served under a carefully designed framework.

Of those remaining years, between one and two-and-a-half years would be spent in prison under a voluntary rehabilitation programme jointly run by the National Counter Terrorism Centre and the Kenya Prisons Service, with a sharp focus on deradicalisation, disengagement from cultic beliefs, and preparing Amanya for life after incarceration.

Following the custodial phase, the DPP proposed six years of supervised probation to ensure close monitoring as Amanya reintegrates into society.

To maintain accountability, prosecution asked the court to receive progress reports every six months, and warned that full imprisonment would follow should Amanya fail to meet programme requirements.

Amanya himself told the court he is willing to cooperate fully with prison authorities throughout the process.

The court also heard that victims and affected community members will receive psychosocial support as part of a broader restorative justice effort.

Prosecution anchored the lenient proposal on mitigating factors including Amanya’s cooperation with investigators and his guilty plea, while invoking the doctrine of extenuating circumstances to rule out the death penalty.

However, prosecutors were clear that the heaviest moral responsibility rests elsewhere, stating that cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and other church leaders bear the greatest culpability and will face significantly harsher sentences when their cases are heard.

The case continues in April 2026.