As the prosecution tightens its case against controversial preacher Pastor Paul Mackenzie and his followers, harrowing tales continue to unfold in the Mombasa High Court stories of families shattered, dreams cut short, and faith manipulated in the name of salvation.
What began as a promise of spiritual awakening for dozens of young Kenyans has turned into one of the country’s darkest tragedies. Many abandoned school, jobs, and their loved ones in pursuit of divine wealth, only to vanish or perish in the infamous Shakahola forest, where Mackenzie’s Good News International Church operated.
On Thursday, Benson Mutimba, the 57th witness, stood before the court, his voice heavy with disbelief. A resident of Webuye, Mutimba recounted how two of his children aged 27 and 16 were drawn into Mackenzie’s teachings that condemned education as ungodly.
“My son told me education was sinful and that the pastor was a true man of God,” he said. “He sold everything he owned and said Pastor Mackenzie had promised him riches even a helicopter.”
After their disappearance, Mutimba sought help from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Tracing efforts led officers to Malindi, where one of his son’s mobile phones was last active. Records from Safaricom showed a Sh200 transfer from the young man’s number to Mackenzie’s account, marking his final known communication before disappearing into the forest.
The 58th witness, Jesca Safari Kone, narrated how her family’s life unraveled after her sisters became Mackenzie’s followers. A resident of Kilifi, Jesca told the court that three of her sisters and five of their children were later confirmed dead in Shakahola.
“When I couldn’t reach them on the phone, I travelled to where they lived in Furunzi,” she said quietly. “But they were gone. Later, I learned they had gone to Shakahola and they never returned.”
For Esther Anyango, the 59th witness, her encounter with the cult came through her married daughter. She recalled receiving a call from her son-in-law, informing her that her daughter had died while giving birth. Since that day, she has neither seen her daughter’s body nor heard from her grandchildren.
“To this day, I do not know where they are or if they are alive,” she testified.
‘He Burned Birth Certificates and School Reports’
Equally wrenching was the testimony of Roseline Anivisa Asena, the 60th witness, who told the court that her brother had become a zealous follower of Mackenzie’s teachings. His newfound beliefs led him to withdraw his children from school and destroy their personal documents.
“He said education was evil. He burned his children’s school report cards and birth certificates,” she said.
Roseline later discovered her brother’s fate through television footage showing him among Mackenzie’s followers. She also recognized his wife in a rescue operation frail, disoriented, and severely malnourished.
Rescued children from Shakahola, now under the care of Mayungu Children’s Home, later told her that three of her brother’s children had died and were buried secretly at night.
Another emotional account came from Florence Mwahita Mwaigo, whose son, Alfonce Chomba, is among Mackenzie’s co-accused. She revealed that her son lost both his wife and one of their children, Nathan, during their stay in Shakahola.
“He told me that education and hospitals were ungodly,” Mwaigo said. “He had completely changed it was as if we had lost him even before the deaths.”
The ongoing trial has brought to light the extent of indoctrination, psychological control, and exploitation that defined Mackenzie’s movement. The self-proclaimed pastor and 92 co-accused are facing charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, in connection with the deaths of 191 people.
Prosecutors say Mackenzie’s teachings encouraged followers to fast to death in order to “meet Jesus,” while forbidding medical care and formal education. What investigators later uncovered in Shakahola forest has been described as one of the most disturbing mass-death incidents in Kenya’s history.
As the case continues at the Shanzu Law Courts, each witness brings new weight to the tragedy not just of the lives lost, but of the hope and trust that were destroyed in the name of faith.
