Two young witnesses took the stand Monday in the ongoing
manslaughter case against controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 94
co-accused.
The first witness, a 16-year-old identified in court only as
SBB for protection, described before Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku how his life
was turned upside down after his mother withdrew him from school after
receiving teachings against education after watching Times TV.
He told the court how her mother sold household items to
finance their travel to Malindi and then to Shakahola forest, also referred to
by the followers as "Jangwani" (the wilderness).
On their way to Shakahola, they were held in a makeshift
tent to enable the opening of ways to Shahakohala Forest.
SBB told the court that they were subjected to extreme
fasting under the belief that it would accelerate their journey to heaven. He
testified that his own mother denied him food.
He added that she collaborated with other Mackenzie's close
aides, including one known as Mr. Smart, in severely beating him when he was
caught stealing food from a neighbour's home, driven by hunger after four days
without food or water.
“We were told we were delaying the journey to heaven,” he
recalled.
“Anyone who
questioned the teachings or resisted fasting was seen as an obstacle.”
The witness acknowledged having attended a meeting where
they were ordered to start observing. He says that some opposed the directives,
and some decided to move out of the Shakahola forest.
The witness added that meetings were held every time someone
died, during which Pastor Mackenzie would allegedly conduct prayers before the
body was buried. These burials were referred to as “weddings,” implying a union
with God.
Pastor Mackenzie would update the followers on global events
such as the Russia-Ukraine war, which he described as signs of the world’s end.
He also warned them against going to the hospital,
registering for a Huduma Number, and also use of beauty products, as they were
considered satanic.
During burials, Mackenzie would tell his followers that the
"Ark was about to be closed," and therefore, anyone who would have
not boarded should have done so, failure to which he/she would be left out.
He described how he escaped to Shakahola madukani, where he
was directed to village elders for shelter.
Two days after being thoroughly beaten for stealing food
from a neighbour, he used the opportunity of going to relieve himself to sneak
away.
The second witness, a 14-year-old protection witness identified
only as EW, currently in Grade 6 and born in Lwanda, confirmed the cult's
hardline stance against education and modernity.
“We were taught that
school, Huduma Number registration, and using cosmetics were ungodly,” the
child testified.
The witness stated that they were not going to school
because they were made to understand that going to school was satanic.
The uncle had to lock them in a house because the area chief
was moving around conducting inspections to ensure all the children were
attending school.
The witness travelled from Lwanda to an area in Shakahola
known as Bethlehem, where they were subjected to intense fasting, prayer, and
regular meetings addressed by Pastor Mackenzie himself.
Meetings were often announced through door-to-door messages.
According to EW, the term “wedding” was used to refer to burials, with
Mackenzie’s followers believing the deceased were being joined with God.
Both testimonies painted a chilling picture of systematic
indoctrination and abuse allegedly orchestrated by Mackenzie and his inner
circle.
The prosecution aims
to prove that the mass starvation deaths in Shakahola were not merely acts of
faith but criminally negligent and coercive in nature.
The trial continues tomorrow, with more witnesses expected
to testify in what is shaping up to be one of Kenya's most disturbing criminal
cases in recent history.
