Mombasa, Kenya – Shocking new revelations emerged at the Mombasa High Court on Thursday as witnesses continued to testify in the ongoing murder trial of Pastor Paul Mackenzie and his 30 co-accused over the Shakahola massacre, where hundreds died following the preacher’s alleged cult teachings.
Parents Reveal How Loved Ones Were Lured to Shakahola
The court heard heartbreaking accounts from relatives who lost family members to what has been described as one of Kenya’s darkest religious tragedies.
Mr. Benson Mutimba, a resident of Webuye and the 57th prosecution witness, told the court that Pastor Mackenzie promised to buy him a helicopter if he remained loyal to his teachings. Mutimba said two of his children, aged 27 and 16, dropped out of school after being convinced that education was evil.
“He told me Pastor Mackenzie had even promised him a helicopter if he continued following his teachings,”
Mutimba testified before Justice Mugure Thande.
Mutimba said his eldest son, a student at Kibabii University, had called Mackenzie a “true man of God” and persuaded him to sell all his property and relocate to Shakahola, believing they would become rich.
After his children disappeared, Mutimba filed a report with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Investigations traced one of their mobile phones to Malindi, near Mackenzie’s base of operations.
Safaricom records later revealed that his son had sent Ksh 200 to Mackenzie’s number after arriving in Ukunda, Mombasa County.
Families Still Searching for Missing Loved Ones
Another witness, Jesca Safari Kone, the 58th witness, recounted losing contact with her sisters after they travelled to Shakahola. She later learned that three of her sisters and five of their children had died in the forest.
Similarly, Esther Anyango, the 59th witness, said her daughter and son-in-law moved from Likoni to Shakahola, where she was later informed that her daughter died during childbirth. She has since lost contact with her son-in-law and two grandchildren, who remain missing.
Witnesses Describe Families Torn Apart
The 60th witness, Roseline Anivisa Asena from Embakasi South, testified that her brother had joined Mackenzie’s church and started enforcing its extreme doctrines. He burned his children’s school report cards and birth certificates, claiming education and medicine were sinful.
“My brother became harsh and burned his children’s school documents,” she said.
“I only realized he had gone to Shakahola after seeing him on TV.”
Roseline said her brother’s wife was later rescued from the forest malnourished and weak, while three of his children died and were buried secretly in Shakahola. One surviving child was found alive but unable to speak or walk due to trauma.
In another account, Florence Mwahita Mwaigo, the 61st witness, testified that her son Alfonce Chomba, one of the accused persons, had lost his wife, Gloria Riziki, and their child Nathan Chomba in the Shakahola tragedy. She said her son had become a devout follower of Mackenzie, rejecting education and medical care as “sinful”.
Prosecution Builds Case Against Mackenzie
The prosecution continues to build its case against Pastor Mackenzie, leader of the controversial Good News International Church, and his co-accused.
They face multiple counts of murder, manslaughter, terrorism, and radicalization, all linked to the deaths of 191 people — many of them children — in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County.
The case, which has gripped the nation since the mass graves were discovered in early 2023, resumes on Friday as more witnesses take the stand.
