A 17-year-old witness has recounted to a Mombasa court how she survived on water in the Shakahola Forest for 38 days before being rescued by the police.
The witness was among the more than 300 followers of the Good News International (GNI) church linked to Kilifi suspected cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who had moved into the forest as early as 2019.
This witness on Tuesday, August 13, informed Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku that she would wait until her mother left their house in the thicket before drinking water from the jerrican.
“I would fetch water from the jerrican and drink. There was no food, so water was the only option available, although my mother wanted me to fast to death. I depended on water for 38 days then I was rescued,” the minor stated during examination in chief by prosecution counsel Alex Gituma.
As the police began arriving in the forest with families searching for their loved ones, the witness said they would move from one location to another deep within the forest to avoid being caught by the police.
The witness mentioned that motorbikes were used to transport the believers from their homes to makeshift tents deep in the forest.
The prosecution witness stated that many believers, including minors, perished during these movements.
“My mother picked me up from school without my father’s knowledge, and we then travelled to Mombasa. That was in 2019,” she said.
While in Mombasa, the witness said they attended the GNI church Milango Saba branch in Kisauni. However, the church would later be closed, forcing the believers to worship in their homes while following Mackenzie’s sermons on his television channel, Times TV.
In December 2019, the witness stated that Mackenzie ordered his followers to cease any income-generating projects or work and concentrate on the works of the “chosen ones” (wateule ).
“He meant that we were the chosen ones of God and therefore were to separate from earthly matters like employment or any kind of work to earn a living,” said the witness.
During that time, she told the court that Mackenzie held his last seminar in Mtwapa, where he declared that the chosen ones were now to embark on door-to-door preaching to spread the message of the end times.
“Towards September 2020, we were informed that a parcel of land had been found in Chakama Ranch. My mother sold all the household items and purchased two acres for Sh1500,” she said.
The minor and her mother then moved to Furunzi-Malindi in October of that year to join Mackenzie’s church. There were many people in the church when they arrived.
“We spent the night inside the church. The following morning, we were transported to Shakahola forest by a lorry. Mackenzie travelled with us; there were many people,” said the witness.
According to the witness, the lorry that ferried them to Shakahola had writings like “Kisha Nikaona” and “Times TV: The Final Trumpet.”
Upon arrival at the forest, the witness said they stayed in a makeshift tent before moving to the parcel of land the following day. There were two tents, each hosting women and men separately.
“The rule was that you stay in the tent temporarily for a day, then you move to your own house the next day. We used black polythene paper to erect a temporary house on the land that my mother had purchased. We were settled at Galilaya,” said the witness, who was being guided by a team of prosecution comprising Jami Yamina, Victor Simbi, Victor Owiti, Hillary Isiaho, and Betty Rubia.
There were other villages, including Bethlehem, Tiro, Sikari, Sidoni, Judea, Bethany, and Emau. Each of Mackenzie's followers was allotted land and settled in these villages.
According to the witness, life in the forest was smooth until Mackenzie declared the beginning of the fast in January 2023.
Before this, Mackenzie had prohibited the use of modern medicine, education, and cosmetics, terming them satanic and not part of God’s plan.
She said this announcement was made in one of the meetings that were usually held on Saturdays under a tree in Judea village, where Mackenzie and his family lived.
“Mackenzie came to us and told us that he had been sent by Jesus to declare the start of the fasting, beginning with the children before he could finalize the fast with his family. We were told we were to start express fasting with no bathing or drinking of water,” the witness said.
The witness stated that Mackenzie made it clear to his followers that a child who died after his own (Mackenzie’s) children would not enter heaven, prompting every believer to ensure their children died quickly before those of their preacher.
According to the witness, Mackenzie declared a lockdown and urged his followers to be dead by June 2023, claiming something significant was going to happen that month.
The minor told the court that Mackenzie left the forest when search and rescue operations intensified.
Senior Sergeant Cyrus Irungu, who also testified, explained to the court how they struggled to enter the forest after a report of starvation and child neglect was made at the Lango Baya police station.
“There was no vehicle at the police station, so we used alternative transport to reach the forest. We found an emaciated child and rescued him. An elderly woman who had the minor escaped and was never seen again,” he said.
“This is where my brother’s wedding (burial) was conducted; he is sleeping under this red soil,” he recalled what the minor said.
“The minor explained to us that he had not been eating for a while,” said the officer.
Mr Irungu stated that they handed over the child to his boss while search and rescue missions continued in the forest.
Through his lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, Mackenzie and his team have denied 238 manslaughter charges, asserting that the deaths in Shakahola are not linked to the freedom of religion and assembly they were practising in the forest.
