Shakahola cult leader Paul Mackenzie (in pink) is pictured with some of his followers at the Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa County on May 2, 2023.
Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie has enlisted university lecturers, a Catholic priest, a Muslim cleric and psychologists to support his defence against charges of murdering 191 children in Shakahola Forest.
On Monday, the doomsday preacher told the court that he intends to call Dr Evelyn Asaala from the University of Nairobi, Dr Myrna Kalsi and Mr Nelson Sitonik.
He has also drawn from the religious sector, stating that he will call Catholic priest Father Felix Atindah and a Muslim cleric yet to be named.
Pastor Paul Mackenzie with other accused persons who is charged with the murder of 191 Children in the Shakahola Massacre.
“We intend to call these expert witnesses and another six, who are part of the accused persons. We will supply their expert opinion to the prosecution to enable them to prepare,” Mackenzie said through his advocate.
The defence team hopes their testimony will challenge the prosecution’s claims and provide alternative interpretations of events surrounding the Shakahola deaths, now before the High Court.
On Monday, Mackenzie’s co-accused took the witness stand to defend him but inadvertently ended up supporting the prosecution’s case.
Other than denying that the preacher gave express orders for followers to fast to death, the witnesses admitted that Mackenzie discouraged eating, calling it a sin.
Steven Sanga Muye, alias Steve wa Mtwapa, confirmed to the court that Mackenzie was the head of Good News International Church, whose members died of starvation in Shakahola Forest between 2020 and 2023.
“All the suspects were residents of Shakahola. We were living in peace in the forest,” he told the court.
He explained how he left Mtwapa, where he had attended the Ebenezer Church, to join GNI.
Financial hardship
He said Ebenezer was associated with GNI, which facilitated his relocation to Malindi and later to Shakahola Forest.
According to him, the Covid-19 pandemic caused financial hardship, and when the idea of Shakahola arose, he moved from Mtwapa to Malindi before settling in the forest.
Sanga portrayed his stay in Shakahola as voluntary.
“When I got to Shakahola, I leased land for Sh1,000. I then worked as a security guard to prevent animals from drinking water from the dams, because the land is located next to Tsavo National Park,” he said.
He admitted that while in Shakahola, they undertook periodic fasting as a condition for favourable judgement in heaven.
Graves discovered at Kwa Bi Nzaro area, within Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County on August 15, 2025.
According to him, instructions for fasting and other religious activities came from the Holy Spirit.
“The Holy Spirit speaks through people via dreams and visions. That is how instructions were given in the forest. We did not receive any orders from Mackenzie to fast,” he said.
Mark Kiogora Kiara testified that he went to the forest in 2020 and paid Sh5000 for two acres of land.
He claimed that the area chief instructed buyers to give Mackenzie their money for onward transmission to the Wabaya Mwaro elders.
“While in Shakahola, we had our first meeting with the area chief, who told us to write our names and ID numbers and give them to Evans Sirya,” he said.
Sirya is among those charged in connection with the deaths.
Kiara confirmed that he lived in Shakahola and even married his wife there.
He said he moved after Mackenzie’s church was closed, with the preacher telling them that the closure signified the completion of his mission.
He described an incident in September 2022, just months before mass graves were discovered, when there was an attempt to evict the Shakahola dwellers.
They resisted, citing the investments they had made.
“We demanded payment before leaving, but that did not happen,” he said.
Kiara stated that neither he nor his wife fasted. He confirmed that meetings were held under Mitola trees in the forest, but said they were meant to address emerging issues affecting the dwellers.
“Dreams and visions were shared during such meetings as a by-the-way; they were not the agenda,” he said.
He acknowledged that deaths occurred in the forest, with burials conducted without coffins, but denied attending any funeral.
“I did not fast. My wife and child are alive; they did not die,” added Kiara, who said he was an Adventist before joining Mackenzie’s church in July 2019.
Some of the followers of Paul MAckenzie at arraigned at the Shanzu Law Courts
He confirmed that certain followers claimed to have received dreams instructing them to fast in order to see Jesus, and they proceeded to act upon those visions.
Lucas Owino Ogola’s testimony, however, supported the prosecution’s case.
Ogola, a tailor from Gem, Siaya County, described how he converted from Legio Maria to Mackenzie’s teachings.
He said he relocated to Shakahola in 2019, where people were forced to fast to death by a man identified as Musa Makelele, acting on the orders of an unidentified woman.
He claimed the woman instructed fasting during a meeting presided over by Mackenzie and his followers.
“I opposed the fasting-to-death order, and for that I was brutalised by men who are not in this court,” he said.
Ogola confirmed that Mackenzie preached against education, calling it evil and claiming it instilled an anti-Christ spirit.
Systematic indoctrination
His testimony reinforced the prosecution’s narrative of systematic indoctrination and suffering within the forest settlement.
Ogola testified that Mackenzie insisted failing to fast was sinful, and claimed that a vision from a deceased woman revealed that eating itself was a sin.
He added that a faction within the Shakahola dwellers enforced fasting to death, based on visions from the unidentified woman.
“I was forced to fast against my will. For resisting the order to fast to death, I was branded a traitor , yet I refused to comply,” he said
Ogola testified that he was aware children were fasting and dying in the forest, but admitted he did not report the matter to the police.
“Children had no right to decide to fast, yet I left everyone to bear their own burden,” he said.
His account of being assaulted for refusing to fast further illustrated the coercion and intolerance within the group , elements the prosecution has consistently argued characterised life in Shakahola.
Ogola further stated that Mackenzie did not oppose the woman’s directive that food was sinful, but instead told followers that failing to fast was ungodly.
"Mackenzie did not oppose the woman’s call for people to fast to death during the meeting; instead, he urged the followers to heed the first voice,” he said.
He recalled an incident where men on motorbikes sought his friend Daniel Makori, accusing him of betrayal for opposing fasting.
The three witnesses are among the 12 Mackenzie has decided to call in his defence.
Last week, the High Court in Mombasa placed Mackenzie and his 29 accomplices on their defence after hearing evidence from 121 witnesses, including survivors, experts and investigating officers.
Also Read: Shakahola confessions - Suspect who pleaded guilty details torture, starvation that killed over 400
The prosecution also presented exhibits such as post-mortem reports and government analyst findings.
In delivering the ruling, the judge stated that based on the totality of evidence, it was not in dispute that children’s bodies were exhumed at Shakahola, some of which were identified and released to relatives for burial.
The court added that several relatives of the accused testified, confirming the deaths of their children.
Some witnesses placed the accused at the scene of the crimes, describing them as village elders, guards, grave diggers, cooks and others performing roles within the settlement.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
