A children’s court in Tononoka has resumed the hearing into the Shakahola massacre involving child victims, with harrowing testimony revealing the deep psychological scars left on survivors. The case centers on controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 38 co-accused, who include parents of some of the affected children.
Presided over by Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir, the court heard from five witnesses, including psychologists and counselors, who were called upon to provide psychosocial support to children rescued from the Shakahola forest. According to their testimonies, the minors exhibited signs of trauma, emotional distress, and social withdrawal, requiring intensive group therapy sessions.
“We conducted multiple therapy sessions to build trust with the children, many of whom showed symptoms of traumatic grief,” one counselor told the court. The children, she said, frequently experienced nightmares and emotional episodes linked to fear, cruelty, and shame, reflective of their time in the forest.
The counselors further revealed that most of the children had never been to school. This was attributed to Pastor Mackenzie’s anti-education sermons, delivered through his Time TV platform, where he reportedly described formal schooling as “ungodly” and claimed that even Jesus never went to school.
One witness, Charles Anjanja, a boda boda rider from Kiambu, gave a personal account of how Mackenzie’s teachings tore apart his family. “My wife and I clashed after she started following the teachings on Time TV. She left Eldoret with our four children for Mombasa and later returned with only three,” Anjanja testified. He said she eventually disappeared with two of the remaining children, only to be found dead later.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Mackenzie and the other accused face 17 charges under multiple laws, including the Children’s Act (2012), the Prevention of Torture Act (2017), and the Basic Education Act (2013). Charges include two counts of subjecting children to torture, nine counts of child cruelty, and six counts of denying children the right to education.
The court proceedings continue as the nation grapples with the extent of the tragedy that unfolded in Shakahola, where religious indoctrination and neglect led to the suffering and deaths of numerous children.
Written By Rodney Mbua
