By Andrew Kariuki
The murder trial of Pastor Paul Mackenzie and 30 co-accused resumed at the High Court in Mombasa, where the prosecution presented five witnesses before Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, including two minors, a forensic expert, a psychiatrist, a children’s home manager and a civilian witness.
Chief Inspector Joseph Kolum, a forensic examiner with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), detailed how he analyzed electronic devices seized from the accused, including phones, laptops and computers. He told the court he searched for keywords such as “Jangwani,” “education,” “watoto,” “fasting,” “end time,” “beast,” “prophecy,” “anti-Christ” and “666.”
Kolum said the analysis revealed messages exchanged between Pastor Mackenzie and his followers discussing the “end times” and contributions sent to Mackenzie to purchase land in Shakahola for “everlasting fasting.” The data also included conversations instructing followers to abandon worldly pursuits and prepare to relocate to Shakahola.
He further testified that several videos retrieved from the devices promoted anti-education messages, with Mackenzie preaching that schooling was “satanic” and urging parents to withdraw children from school to “seek the kingdom of God.”
Two minors identified in court as AB and EW shared emotional testimony on life inside Shakahola Forest.
AB told the court he attended the Good News International Church in Nairobi’s Shauri Moyo area, where Mackenzie’s teachings discouraged education and beauty. He said he travelled to Shakahola with his mother and two siblings, where followers were instructed to fast “until they see God.”
The court heard that deaths were referred to as “weddings,” symbolizing spiritual victory and burials were conducted joyfully rather than mournfully. AB said Mackenzie insisted that children should fast first, followed by women, men and finally himself.
He recalled teams assigned to conduct burials and revealed he escaped twice, the second time successfully, after fearing he would die from starvation. His four year old brother, however, was left behind fasting at Shakahola.
EW, aged 15, testified that he followed Mackenzie’s teachings through TV broadcasts and attended church gatherings in Vihiga. He said Mackenzie preached against education, beauty, immunization and government registration programs like Huduma Namba.
The witness narrated how his relatives secretly travelled to Shakahola, where Mackenzie would hold meetings under trees and instruct followers to avoid contact with outsiders and government services. He fasted for a month before escaping to a village elder’s home, later being rescued by a children’s officer.
Mayungu Children’s Home manager, Hellen Mwikali Kimwele, testified that she received 12 rescued children from Shakahola in 2023. Some bore injuries and rashes from alleged beatings. She told the court that many refused to eat or take medication, insisting on fasting and prayer as taught in Shakahola.
A psychiatrist from the Kenya Prisons Service confirmed that only one of the 31 accused persons showed signs of mental illness after evaluation.
Another witness, Ms. Ann Kauchu Mwachai from Malindi, said she stopped attending Mackenzie’s church after he began condemning education, hair plaiting and medical treatment. She said her mother and sibling later moved to Shakahola, and her mother was later confirmed dead after DNA results matched one of the exhumed bodies.
The hearing will continue tomorrow, with more prosecution witnesses expected to testify as the state seeks to establish Mackenzie’s role in the deaths linked to the Shakahola starvation tragedy.
