Shakahola massacre case: Woman tells court her six dead children are 'happily in heaven'

The defence hearing in the terrorism-related case linked to the Shakahola massacre continued at the Shanzu Law Courts, with an accused person telling the court that her six children who died had willingly fasted to death and dug their own graves before dying.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Anne Anyoso Alukhwe, who testified in her defence, told the court that she believes that her dead children are “happily in heaven.”

“She told the court that she lost all six of her children in Shakahola, claiming that the children willingly fasted to death in an effort to ‘meet their Creator,’ stated the ODPP.

Anne further testified that her children dug their own graves before they died and expressed her belief that they are “happily in heaven.”

The prosecution wondered why she did not prevent her children from taking their lives, but the accused quoted the Bible verse in Matthew where Jesus says: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

She also identified herself as the wife of co-accused Amos Amanya and claimed the deaths of her children happened after she had separated from him.

The accused further alleged that a pastor from a Nairobi church convinced them to relocate to Shakahola in Malindi and facilitated their flights after they sold their house in Nairobi.

In her testimony, she said the pastor later took all the money from the sale of the house, leaving them stranded and helpless in Shakahola.

Another accused person, 24-year-old Faith Opiyo, also testified before the court, saying she dropped out of Class Seven while studying at a boarding school in Busia County in order to dedicate her life to serving God.

She said her decision was influenced by a dream in which she saw herself lying among dead bodies.

The ODPP said that in her testimony, the dream appeared to come true after a fire broke out at her school, injuring learners and destroying property worth hundreds of thousands of shillings.

“When the incident happened, I lost all my properties in school, but since God saved my life, I decided to leave school and serve the Almighty God, as I believed that my dream had come true,” she told the court.

Faith further testified that her parents opposed her decision to leave school but she still travelled to Nairobi before heading to Shakahola, where she was eventually arrested.

Faith confirmed she was a “Mteule” but said she could not identify which of the accused persons were members of the group.

The defence hearing is expected to continue as more witnesses take the stand.

The defence has also applied to have the testimony of three witnesses in the Malindi Criminal Case E003 of 2024 adopted in totality in the matter.

Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie is implicated in the infamous starvation cult that killed more than 400 people in Malindi, Kilifi County.