Witness offers chilling account of life inside Mackenzie’s church

The trial of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 93 co-accused resumed this week at a Kilifi court, November 11, 2025. /ODPP

A 26-year-old daughter of a senior cleric who once worked closely with pastor Paul Mackenzie has offered a chilling account of life inside the Good News International church, describing how the church’s radical doctrines evolved into a cult-like movement.

Brenda Mwaura, who took the stand on Monday as the prosecution’s 46th witness, testified virtually in the ongoing trial of controversial preacher Paul Nthege Mackenzie and 93 co-accused over the Shakahola massacre that stunned Kenya and the world.

The prosecution team was led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina, alongside Prosecution Counsel Yassir Mohammed and Principal Prosecution Counsels Alex Ndiema, Betty Rubia and Victor Owiti.

Prosecution was led by Assistant DPP, Jami Yamina, Prosecution Counsel Yassir Mohammed and Principal Prosecution Counsels Alex Ndiema, Betty Rubia and Victor Owiti. /ODPP

In her detailed testimony, Brenda recounted how her family joined the Good News International (GNI) church when she was about 13 years old.

The church, she said, operated branches in Makongeni, Nairobi, and Malindi. Under Mackenzie’s leadership, it gradually transformed into a cult that denounced schools, hospitals, and employment as “ungodly distractions.”

“Mackenzie declared hospitals and schools ungodly, warning followers to ‘abandon worldly distractions and prepare for the coming of Jesus,’” she told the court.

Her father reinforced these teachings, forcing her to abandon her studies while in Form Two.

The family later relocated to Malindi, where Mackenzie often cited Brenda as an example of a “faithful believer” who had forsaken education for God.

At the church, Brenda worked as a camera operator for Times TV — the church’s media arm that produced DVDs of Mackenzie’s fiery, apocalyptic sermons.

She recalled that several youths, including two who worked as editors, joined the media team after abandoning school under Mackenzie’s influence.

At 18, Brenda finally broke away from the church after realising she had been manipulated.

Mackenzie's co-accused follow proceedings in court. /ODPP

Years later, when reports emerged that followers were starving themselves in the Shakahola Forest, she posted a public warning on Facebook and tagged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The post triggered threats from church loyalists.

“Two people called me, one claimed to be a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier warning me to stop talking about the church. I feared for my life,” she testified.

She later recorded a statement with the DCI.

Before the cult’s collapse, Brenda said, Mackenzie sold off church assets, including vehicles and recording equipment.

“I was terrified. I saw it coming,” she said, adding that her father eventually severed ties with the preacher.

Her testimony was followed by that of Sergeant Joseph Yator, a DCI officer who was among the first to investigate the tragedy.

Yator said he was called by his superiors in Malindi on March 20, 2023, to meet three adults and a malnourished boy rescued from the forest.

The boy revealed that his parents had forced him and his siblings to fast under Mackenzie’s instructions.

Two of the children died from starvation and suffocation, prompting their grandfather to alert police.

Following a rescue operation, Mackenzie was arrested on March 22, 2023, but was initially released on a Sh10,000 bail.

Investigators later rescued 15 more victims, four of whom died, and arrested several suspects.

Yator presented 89 photographs in court showing evidence collected from the forest, including pamphlets, CDs and books spreading Mackenzie’s extremist teachings.

He also disclosed that Mackenzie had previously filed a defamation complaint against Brenda in November 2022, accusing her of claiming online that he was “burying people in the bush” ,  an allegation later confirmed true by investigators.

The court also heard from Dr Laurence Nderi, the Chief Executive Officer of Mathari Teaching and Referral Hospital, who led mental evaluations for 31 accused persons, including Mackenzie.

Dr Nderi confirmed that all were mentally fit to stand trial, except one who was initially found to have a major disorder but later declared fit after treatment.

The Shakahola massacre, which claimed hundreds of lives, remains one of Kenya’s deadliest cult tragedies.

The trial continues, with the prosecution expected to call more witnesses in the coming weeks.