A protected witness in the ongoing hearing of the Shakahola massacre did shed light on the chilling influence of Paul Mackenzie, who used the holy book verses like Colossians 2:8, Ecclesiastes 12:12, 1 Timothy 6:20, and Jacob 3:15 to persuade young children to abandon their education.
The witness, who converted from Islam to Christianity under the sway of his father, a fervent Mackenzie follower, left school in 2020, captivated by Mackenzie’s teachings.
He painted a vivid picture of his father’s transformation from an alcoholic to a devout follower, glued to Mackenzie’s sermons on Times TV in 2019, eventually drawing the entire family into the fold.
By August 2019, the family had become regular attendees of the Good News International Church in Makongeni, Nairobi, where the witness was baptized and given a Christian name. The witnesses recounted how Mackenzie, with the aid of George Mwaura, delivered powerful sermons that left a lasting impact.
The witness narrated how his mother closed her salon after Mackenzie preached against women braiding their hair or using beauty products.
Furthermore, when the Kenyan government launched the Huduma Number registration, Mackenzie warned his followers against it, claiming the microchip in the Huduma Card was the “mark of the beast” as foretold in Revelations 16-18.
“In April 2022, my father sold our household items, including our television and bed, and we journeyed to Mackenzie’s church in the Furunzi area of Malindi. There, a church member welcomed us and escorted us to Shakahola,” the witness recounted.
“Upon our arrival in Shakahola, we were allocated a plot of land by one of Mackenzie’s assistants. My days were spent hunting, sleeping, or reading the Bible. However, Mackenzie later declared that it was time to be guided by the Holy Spirit instead of the Bible. He instructed us to fast and pray in solitude, awaiting Jesus’ return to take us to Heaven,” the witness’s statement read, echoing the harrowing experiences shared by previous witnesses.
Overwhelmed by the fasting, the witness described his daring escape through dense forests to evade Mackenzie’s sentries, eventually reaching Shakahola Madukani, where he slept under the stars for three days. A kind-hearted Samaritan then offered him a job at a hardware store, where he worked for several months.
The witness was eventually rescued by a children’s officer and taken to Malindi Children Centre for care and protection.
He concluded his testimony by expressing uncertainty about his father’s fate, who remained in Shakahola and had been recruited by Mackenzie as a gravedigger.
