Rescued, then returned to death: Court told of lost children in Shakahola massacre

Children once rescued from the grip of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie’s followers were later returned to their families—only to vanish, presumed among the dead in the Shakahola massacre, a Mombasa court heard on Tuesday.

In the hearing before Principal Magistrate Hon. Nelly Chepchirchir at the Tononoka Children’s Court, harrowing testimonies peeled back the layers of cruelty allegedly orchestrated by Mackenzie and his 38 co-accused.

The group faces multiple charges, including torture and child cruelty, linked to the now-notorious Good News International (GNI) Church.

Among the five witnesses who took the stand was Helen Mwikali Kimwele, manager of the Mayungu Children’s Centre in Malindi.

She told the court that 43 children were rescued in 2017 from families affiliated with the GNI church and placed under her care on orders from a senior children’s officer. Their admission records—complete with names, ages, and guardian contacts—matched details of several accused persons currently on trial.

Kimwele said the children, aged between 4 and 13, had been denied basic education and healthcare. Despite the intervention, they were later released back to their families after the parents entered plea agreements in a Malindi court, promising to enroll them in school and seek medical treatment for the ill.

But that promise would end in horror. The court heard that most of those 43 children went missing in the years that followed—and are now presumed dead, victims of the Shakahola cult massacre that came to light in 2022.

Some children survived and have since come forward to testify—against their own parents and guardians.

One protected witness, a social worker from a rescue home, recounted how one of the accused, Gilbert Khea, used a court order and lawyer’s letter to retrieve his 13-year-old son from the centre in May 2019.

He signed exit forms, assuring staff of the boy’s safety and progress. But soon after, Khea’s phone went dead—and so did the trail.

Then, in a haunting twist, the same boy reappeared four years later—on March 25, 2023—having escaped from the Shakahola forest. He had cycled through the night, arriving at the rescue centre gaunt, exhausted, and traumatised.

“A colleague called to say the boy had returned. We immediately contacted the children’s officers, re-admitted him, and began counselling and school reintegration,” the witness testified.

The boy later detailed the horrific conditions in the forest and begged authorities to rescue his younger brother—who, tragically, had already died of starvation.

Another witness, a private school principal, told the court how a GNI church member abruptly withdrew his two sons from school and took them to Shakahola. The boys have not been seen since.

The trial continues, with more witnesses expected to take the stand in the coming days.