A 17-year-old boy recently testified in a Mombasa court, recounting how Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the key suspect in the Shakahola massacre, allegedly protected a man who defiled his younger sister within the Good News International Church (GNI).
The incident occurred when the boy was just 10 years old. He explained that the perpetrator was the husband of a female preacher at Mackenzie’s GNI church in Furunzi, Malindi, Kilifi County. The boy accused Mackenzie and another pastor, George Mwaura, of preventing his mother from reporting the crime to the Malindi Police Station.
Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku heard that the two pastors tried to handle the defilement case internally within the church. Mackenzie allegedly urged the victim’s mother, who was a church member, not to involve the police, assuring her that he would deal with the offender. However, according to the boy’s testimony, Mackenzie and Pastor Mwaura instead concealed the matter, hindering their pursuit of justice. The court was also informed that the girl was later married off to a man who had eloped with her when she was still very young.
The boy further testified that the incident drastically altered his view of Mackenzie and the church, leading him to abandon the daily Bible study sessions he had been attending. He recounted how, one morning, his mother returned home with a man who restrained him and took him back to the Bible studies. Upon arrival, an accused person currently before the court, who is Mackenzie’s brother, severely beat him for missing the sessions.
In his testimony, the boy revealed that over 70 children were enrolled by their parents in the GNI church’s Bible study classes. These children were taught to reject education, medical care, and other aspects of the modern world, instead focusing on memorizing Bible verses. The witness recited some of these verses in a courtroom filled with Mackenzie, his wife Rhoda Mumbua Maweu, and 92 others facing 283 counts of manslaughter.
The boy also detailed how one of the accused, Evans Kolombe Sirya, coached the children to lie in court during a case against Mackenzie. Sirya would transport the minors to the Malindi magistrate court in his tuktuk and instruct them on what to say, warning them that they would invoke the wrath of God if they told the truth.
The boy’s mother eventually relocated to Shakahola forest along with other followers of Mackenzie. She died after enduring several days of extreme fasting, and her remains have yet to be identified among the 429 bodies recovered from shallow graves in the forest. DNA analysis is still ongoing to match her remains.
The case is set to continue with further hearings scheduled for September 9-12, 2023.
