By Peter John
The trial of controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his 93 co-accused resumed at the Mombasa Law Courts today, with Prosecution playing a series of video clips said to capture the cult leader’s controversial sermons on education, medicine, and religion.
Chief Inspector Sawe Kigen, a forensic expert who took the stand for the second time in this trial, presented the video evidence, telling the court that the recordings featured Mackenzie and some of his co-accused delivering what he described as “powerful and convincing” teachings.
The videos, recorded during church gatherings attended by hundreds, mostly women and children, showed Mackenzie at times using abusive language while warning his followers against formal education, claiming it distracted believers from spiritual growth.
In one clip, a congregant vowed never to take his children to school, echoing the preacher’s anti-education message.
Mackenzie is also seen lamenting that children “spend too much time in school at the expense of learning the word of God.” Another clip captured a follower declaring that the use of medicine was “devilish,” adding, “God does not want us to fall sick, so there’s no need for medicine.”
One congregant, sharing his testimony before an excited congregation, claimed to have renounced the Illuminati and dramatically displayed a tattoo on his arm, which he said was a mark of his former allegiance. Another congregant is heard discussing what he described as Vision 2030, interpreting it through a biblical lens as a sign of Satan’s imminent rule.
Earlier in the proceedings, Inspector Caleb Machera testified virtually, recounting security meetings in Kilifi County where Mackenzie had been flagged as a growing security concern. Machera told the court that on March 31, 2023, he received a distress call from the local Assistant Chief reporting a violent clash at Shakahola Centre involving Mackenzie’s followers and local youths.
He said he mobilized eight officers to the scene, where they found the two groups armed with crude weapons and fighting over the relocation of a community member into Mackenzie’s forest enclave. Eleven individuals, including two who are now co-accused in the ongoing case, were arrested following the incident.
The court continues to hear witness testimonies in the high-profile case, which has drawn national and international attention following the discovery of mass graves in Shakahola Forest earlier this year.
Prosecution is led by Assistant DPP Jami Yamina, Prosecution Counsel Yassir Mohammed, plus Principal Prosecution Counsels Alex Ndiema, Betty Rubia and Victor Owiti.
