The directors of Chakama Ranching Company Limited have told a Shanzu court that the Shakahola massacre, which claimed more than 450 lives, could have been prevented had police officers and local administrators acted on reports of land invasion filed in 2021.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Leah Juma, company chairman Daniel Kitsao and secretary of the Adhoc Committee Alfred Mathethe narrated how their complaints to government offices about illegal occupation of the ranch were ignored, enabling controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and his followers to entrench themselves in the Shakahola forest. The report was entered at Lango Baya Police Station.
“I verily believe that had our reports been acted on, the happenings would have been averted,” said Mr Mathethe, who testified under the guidance of Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina.
According to the officials, in July 2021, while conducting a routine inspection, they found individuals clearing parts of the land, some putting up shops and others building makeshift houses. On inquiry, they were told that a member of the Wa Baya Mwaro family had sold hundreds of acres, although none of the occupants could produce ownership documents.
Further inspection on August 4, 2021, in the Shakahola forest revealed a dam and several structures, including one said to belong to Mackenzie.
A herdsman drives his goats through Chakama ranch in Kilifi County on August 31, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
The matter was reported to the Chief of Lango Baya, the local police station, and the Assistant County Commissioner. The company also reported to the Ministry of Education, raising concerns about irregularly constructed schools on the property.
“Our report to government authorities was meant to invite investigations and other action that would have revealed the nature of occupation and livelihood of people in Shakahola forest,” Mr Mathethe said. Despite these efforts, the officials testified, no action followed.
Read: Inside forest and echoes of a cult tragedy
A police officer at Chakama Ranch in Kilifi County during a raid on April 17, 2023.
Mr Kitsao gave a historical background of the company and its land disputes. He told the court that Chakama Ranching Company was incorporated in 1976 and allocated approximately 100,000 acres in November 1984.
From 1985, however, local communities began entering the land to graze cattle, fetch water, and cut down trees before eventually settling.
Despite this, the directors have consistently maintained ownership of the remaining 50,000 acres and continue to hold title documents as proof. Kitsao firmly denied claims that the company sold any portion of the land to Mackenzie.
“We did not, and have not, sold land to Mackenzie. We do not know how he got into the property or how he caused the deaths. When we heard he had bought land, we wondered from whom, because it was not from us,” he said.
A water pan in the homestead of Good News International Church Pastor Paul Mackenzie at Chakama Ranch in Malindi, Kilifi County, which was deserted following his arrest in this photo taken on April 17, 2023.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
“The Wa Baya Mwaro are squatters. They claim ownership of the land but have no documents. We want them evicted because it is through the illegal sale of our land that Mackenzie and his followers gained access,” Mr Kitsao told the court while being cross-examined by Mackenzie’s lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo.
They urged the authorities to move quickly to evict the squatters and return full control of the ranch to its rightful owners, warning that continued inaction would lead to further disputes and possible tragedies.
Read: Chakama Ranch: Kenya's cult hotspot and land of secrets
In addition, Mackenzie and his wife face charges of possessing compact discs, digital video discs, books, and pamphlets allegedly intended to instigate terrorist acts in Furunzi, Malindi, between 2020 and 2023.
