Multiple witnesses at the trial of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie detailed disturbing teachings, coercive practices, and the tragic consequences that preceded the Shakahola massacre.
Appearing before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Mombasa High Court, Mackenzie’s former co-preacher George Mwaura Kiburu gave a gripping account of Mackenzie’s radical indoctrination.
Led through his testimony by a Prosecution team led by Lillian Mutua, Jami Yamina, and Victor Owiti, Mwaura narrated how Mackenzie encouraged followers to abandon normal life and prepare for what he described as a direct journey to heaven in June 2023.
Mackenzie and his 29 co-accused are facing charges related to the deaths of 191 people in what Prosecution says was a result of a deadly cult operation.
Mwaura, who worked alongside Mackenzie as a co-preacher between 2018 and 2020, testified that the church actively discouraged government services, including the use of the Huduma Number card, as part of its extremist teachings.
“Mackenzie convinced me to quit my job as a bus driver and join his Good News Church. My daughter also left school to edit his sermons,” Mwaura told the court.
He added that while in Shakahola, Mackenzie preached that a divine rapture would occur, where his followers would ascend to heaven and “sinners would remain behind.”
Mwaura told court he immediately objected to the doctrine but the preacher persisted.
He confirmed to the Prosecution that the church discouraged education and healthcare messages that were also captured in video clips played before the court.
In a virtual appearance, the second witness, Bernard Mkalasinga, recounted how his sister, Pamela Muhonja, abandoned the Holy Spirit Church to join Mackenzie’s movement.
She shaved her hair, relocated with her daughter and granddaughter to Shakahola, and cut off all communication with family members.
Mkalasinga said the family grew increasingly worried as his sister became unreachable.
Her remains were later identified in 2023 through DNA analysis and released to the family for burial.
However, her daughter and granddaughter are still missing.
The prosecution further strengthened its case with testimony from Monica Muvea, a casual labourer, who described the complete transformation of her sister, Felista Kamandi, after joining the Good News Church, associated with Mackenzie.
Kamandi, who had been married three times, abandoned her ten children’s education and refused to seek medical care, insisting that illness was “the work of the devil.”
Muvea told the court that Kamandi left home claiming she had gone “to visit Jesus in Mombasa” before resurfacing in Shakahola, where she occasionally sent messages requesting financial help.
She further revealed that one of Kamandi’s children died from weakness caused by starvation.
Kamandi was later arrested and charged with manslaughter.
In another critical testimony for Prosecution, Dr. Donna Nyamanga, a medical doctor and forensic specialist, detailed how she examined 211 bodies, helping determine their age and gender as part of the painstaking identification process.
The hearing continues.
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