A witness in the Shakahola massacre cases has recounted to a court how the key suspect Paul Mackenzie convinced her mother to forgive a church member who had sexually assaulted her.
The 20-year-old witness, who was a Muslim before converting to Christianity and joining Mackenzie’s church in Furunzi, Malindi, revealed harrowing details of how she endured sexual assault at the hands of one of the church followers, identified as JK, who also traded spices.
"He would invite me to his residence to assist him in packaging spices, after which he would give me a token of appreciation, depending on his will and the amount of work done," she recounted in court on Tuesday.
On the night of December 31, 2018, JK lured the lady who was then a minor from a church vigil under the pretext of work, only to sexually assault her.
"My brothers wanted to report the matter to the Malindi Police Station, but our mother stopped them," she said.
Instead, her mother reported the incident to Mackenzie, who summoned JK, his wife, and a few pastors to the church.
"During the meeting, JK admitted to defiling me, but Mackenzie urged my mother to forgive him. He further instructed JK to pay my mother Sh10,000 as a fine for his wrongdoing," she testified.
The matter was never reported to the police or local authorities, bringing a chilling insight into how grievances were handled within the cult.
The witness recounted how she converted from Islam to Christianity after Mackenzie prayed for her and her mother, leading to their purported healing.
"It was in July 2014. Our mother fell ill, and around the same time, our youngest brother also became sick. I, too, was paralysed," she testified while being guided by prosecution counsels Mr Jami Yamina, Victor Owiti, and Betty Rubia.
Her cousin, a then-member of Mackenzie’s Good News International Church (GNI) Furunzi branch, suggested that their mother accompany him to the church for prayers.
"I confirm that my mother indeed took my brother and me to the said church, where we found Mackenzie, who prayed for us," she explained during cross-examination by Mr Lawrence Obonyo, the defense lawyer.
The witness recalled that after the prayer session, the preacher told them her paralysis was caused by evil spirits cast upon her.
After returning home, she claims that she got healing and miraculously regained her ability to walk and carry out daily activities normally.
"My mother and brother also felt better. That single interaction with Mackenzie marked our conversion from Islam to Christianity and our commencement of worship at the GNI church, Furunzi branch," she added.
Besides Mackenzie, who was the primary preacher at the Furunzi branch, several other preachers, including Smart Mwakalama and Evans Syria—both currently charged alongside him—alternated in delivering sermons.
Another witness, Ms Israel Ambwaya, narrated how her father withdrew them from a Nairobi school before relocating them to Shakahola in 2021.
"I saw him conversing with the principal and shortly after, we were withdrawn from school. We never returned," she recounted.
The family then began attending the GNI branch in Makongeni, Nairobi, where her parents had been devoted members.
One Sunday, a pastor announced that the church was shutting down and that members were to go door-to-door, spreading the message of the end times.
He has already tendered his evidence, requesting not to be named.
Days later, Ms Ambwaya’s father informed the family that it was time to move to the "wilderness" (referred to in Swahili as Jangwani by the church members), far from Nairobi.
“It was a place where we were meant to wait for Jesus. Under the pastor’s guidance, we travelled to Malindi, where we stayed for two days before being relocated to Shakahola. We settled in Galilee, deep within the forest," she said.
The entire family, consisting of their parents, seven siblings, and their uncle, relocated to the secluded forest.
Her parents later returned to Nairobi to sell all their belongings, including land and returned to Shakahola in January 2022.
"Life in the forest became unbearable, so I left for Mombasa to work as a nanny and support my mother after she separated from my father over his plans to marry off my elder sister to my uncle. My mother opposed it, but my father supported the idea," she said.
Towards the end of 2022, the witness relocated to the Chakama area, where she got married.
Her mother, who had started fasting in the forest, visited her, urging her to return to fast alongside her siblings.
"I was hesitant because I was pregnant, but she assured me that if I died while fasting, God would forgive me. However, my neighbours advised me against returning, and I heeded their counsel. My mother gave me Sh200 and left," she said.
"The next time I saw them was in court, standing trial for the Shakahola deaths," she said.
Ms Ambwaya revealed that they buried three of her siblings, who perished in Shakahola, in Vihiga last year.
"Three others are still missing. I do not know where they are," she added. The hearing continues.
Meanwhile, the defence team has raised concern over the continued death of suspects in detention.
This is after another suspect succumbed in December last year, bringing the death toll of those who perished in detention to three.
The State informed the Shanzu Court that Metrine Khatole passed away while undergoing treatment after a brief illness.
"The information we have is that the 92nd accused person, Ms Khatole, has died. We will present a comprehensive report to the court so that her case can be marked as abated," stated Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina.
The deceased’s body is preserved at a morgue, awaiting a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
Principal Magistrate Leah Juma was informed that the prosecution was yet to acquire proper documentation of the deceased to inform the next course of action.
Other suspects who died while in custody are Mary Charo Mbita and Edison Safari Munyambo alias Baba Sifa, who both passed away last year.
In light of these deaths, the suspects’ lawyer, Mr Obonyo, urged the court to expedite the trial process to ensure that all accused persons receive justice before any further tragic occurrences.
The trio were among the 95 accused persons facing multiple counts of radicalisation and an additional 283 counts of manslaughter before the Shanzu and Mombasa.
While Ms Khatole’s cause of death remains undisclosed, Mr Munyambo and Ms Mbita succumbed to cancer and tuberculosis, respectively.
Court documents revealed that Munyambo died from metastatic malignancy (cholangiocarcinoma), a rare and aggressive form of cancer originating in the bile ducts.
The death certificate indicated that Munyambo passed away on August 19 at Shimo la Tewa Health Centre while receiving treatment.
Ms Charo, the first suspect to die while in prison, succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis. The 40-year-old woman had also been diagnosed with anaemia.
Court records further indicated that in February last year, Ms Charo had been diagnosed with severe dehydration after undergoing a prolonged hunger strike.
