A witness testifying against pastor Paul Mackenzie and 92 others at the Shanzu court shared the heartbreaking story of losing her seven children in the Shakahola forest.
Currently under the protection of the Witness Protection Agency, she recounted how her family became ensnared in Mackenzie’s radical teachings. The woman explained that her husband, also facing charges in the case, allegedly enforced Mackenzie’s strict orders, depriving their children of food and water as mandated by the cult’s rules.
“My children died from prolonged and forced fasting, all under the watchful eye of Mackenzie’s security team,” she testified in court.
The witness described abandoning education, medical care, and all connections to government services as her family sank deeper into Mackenzie’s teachings. She noted that Mackenzie condemned what he termed “sinful” pursuits and urged his followers to detach from the outside world, a shift that ultimately led them to settle in Shakahola.
“He promised we would live as ‘wateule’ (chosen ones), safe from the influence of the ‘mataifa’ (impure people),” she told the court.
Before the relocation, Mackenzie shut down his Good News International Church and Times TV in Malindi, claiming persecution by the government. The witness testified that the preacher created a WhatsApp group to instruct his followers on the relocation process, directing them to pay a KES 2,000 fee to secure plots in Shakahola. Mackenzie had portrayed Shakahola as a sanctuary, free from worldly influences.
Families abandoned their former lives and moved into makeshift tents in the forest, receiving strict orders to avoid contact with one another and rely solely on their faith. The woman testified that Mackenzie assured his followers their stay in Shakahola would be temporary, lasting only until Christ’s arrival.
However, life in Shakahola became increasingly harsh. The witness described severe shortages of food and water as Mackenzie imposed even stricter rules on the group.
By February 2023, he announced an extreme phase of fasting that resulted in a wave of deaths, especially among children and the elderly. The witness painfully recounted how her children succumbed to starvation under these dire circumstances.
She also detailed failed attempts by some followers to escape from Shakahola, which often led to severe punishment.
“Followers who tried to flee or search for food were beaten and left to suffer in the sun,” she recounted.
In one tragic instance, an air hostess and her sister were beaten and forced to fast under their parents’ watch, ultimately succumbing to the starvation imposed by Mackenzie’s orders.
Mackenzie and his co-accused face multiple charges, including radicalization, engaging in criminal activities, and possession of materials linked to terrorism. He stands accused of radicalizing his followers and enforcing fasting and starvation practices that led to the deaths of 436 people.
