Shakahola massacre: Woman tells court her husband, Mackenzie forced her 7 children to fast to death

A woman has told a Mombasa court how self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie, the suspected mastermind behind the Shakahola massacre, oversaw the death of all her seven children through forced fasting.

The woman, who is under the Witness Protection Agency, disclosed chilling events which transpired as Mackenzie indoctrinated his followers, among them her husband, into joining his cult-like practices.

Appearing before Shanzu Law Courts Principal Magistrate Leah Juma, she said that her husband, who is also a co-accused in the case where Mackenzie and 92 others are charged with radicalization, witnessed the dreadful event as their children starved to death.

“She told the court all her children died due to prolonged fasting which was enforced in the presence of her husband and Mackenzie’s security team that ensured that every parent was adhering to the order of denying their kids food and water,” the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement on Thursday.

The woman recounted how Mackenzie initially brainwashed her family into abandoning education, government services, and medical care through his teachings that “such pursuits were sinful.”

She said the preacher then proceeded to shut down his Good News International ministries and Times TV, claiming that the government was pursuing and persecuting him.

“She further told the court that through a WhatsApp group, Mackenzie instructed his congregants to pay Ksh.2,000 to secure plots in the forest where they could settle in peace as ‘wateule’ far from ‘mataifa’ , people who were seen as unholy,” the ODPP stated.

She recalled how after being told to abandon everything they had and relocate to Shakahola, Mackenzie told them that they would live in a makeshift community since “their stay there would be short-lived as ‘christ’ would come for them.”

According to the witness, life in Shakahola turned harsh and oppressive, with families being separated and instructed not to interact or seek any food assistance.

She went ahead to narrate that people lived in tents with severe shortages of food and water, at the same time dealing with tough rules governing their existence.

The court heard that as the situation deteriorated, Mackenzie called for compulsory fasting in February 2023, which led to a tragic wave of deaths among his followers, especially young children and the elderly.

The witness described harrowing instances as those who attempted to escape, including her sister and an air hostess, experienced beatings, torture and ultimately death.

“Individuals were being beaten, wrapped in polythene bags, and left to die in the scorching sun. During her testimony, she recounted the loss of an air hostess and her sister, who were beaten and forced to fast under their parents' watchful eyes, ultimately succumbing to the extreme conditions imposed by the strict rules from Mackenzie,” the ODPP noted.