Shakahola Massacre Victim Believes Her Dead Children Are Happy In Heaven

One of the accused, Shallyne Temba taking a plea in court. Image by Office of Director of Public Prosecution

Controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie continued presenting witnesses in his defence hearing at the Shanzu Law Courts in the terrorism-related case linked to the Shakahola massacre.

Among those who testified was 24-year-old Faith Opiyo, who is also an accused person in the case. Faith told the court that she dropped out of Class Seven while attending a boarding school in Busia County in order to dedicate her life to serving God.

She testified that her decision was influenced by a dream in which she saw herself lying among dead bodies. According to Faith, the dream appeared to come true after a fire broke out at her school, injuring learners and destroying property worth hundreds of thousands of shillings.

“When the incident happened, I lost all my properties in school, but since God saved my life, I decided to leave school and serve the Almighty God, as I believed that my dream had come true,” she told the court.

She further testified that her parents opposed her decision to leave school. According to her testimony, she later travelled to Nairobi before heading to Shakakhola, where she was arrested.

Faith confirmed to the court that she was a “Mteule” but said she could not identify which of the accused persons were members of the group.

Another accused person, Anne Anyoso Alukhwe, also testified in her defence. She told the court that she lost all six of her children in Shakahola, claiming that the children willingly fasted to death in an effort to “meet their Creator.”

Anne further testified that her children dug their own graves before they died and expressed her belief that they are “happy in heaven.”

During cross-examination by the prosecution team on why she did not prevent her children from taking their lives, Anne responded by quoting Matthew 19:14, where Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

She identified herself as the wife of co-accused Amos Amanya and alleged that the deaths of her children occurred after she had separated from him.

Explaining how they ended up in Shakahola, Anne claimed that a pastor from a Nairobi church convinced them to relocate to Malindi and even facilitated their flights after they sold their house in Nairobi.

She alleged that the pastor later took all the money from the sale of the house, leaving them stranded and helpless in Shakakhola.

The defence hearing is expected to continue as more witnesses take the stand. The defence has also made an application to allow the adoption of 3 witnesses in the Malindi Criminal Case E003 of 2024 in totality in this matter.

Photo by MARCIN CZERNIAWSKI on Unsplash

Witnesses paint harrowing picture of starvation, coercion in Mackenzie manslaughter trial

Prosecution on Tuesday presented compelling testimony in the ongoing manslaughter case against pastor Paul Mackenzie and five co-accused, with witnesses recounting harrowing experiences of prolonged starvation, confinement and psychological manipulation at the Kwa Binzaro settlement in Kilifi County.

Two key witnesses took to the dock with testimonies that sought to demonstrate how followers of Mackenzie's Good News International Church were allegedly lured with promises of attaining heaven through fasting, only to endure extreme suffering.

The fifth prosecution witness, a 60-year-old woman identified as KK and testifying under witness protection, told the Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate's Court that she had been a member of Good News International Church in Furunzi, Malindi, for ten years before relocating to Kwa Binzaro after being persuaded that fasting would secure her entry into heaven.

She testified that she sold her sewing machine for Ksh. 7,000 to facilitate the journey to the remote settlement. Upon arrival, she and other followers were locked inside a house for seven days without food or water.

According to the witness, the room contained only a bucket to serve as a toilet for those confined inside.

"On the seventh day, I started shouting and asking for water because I could no longer continue praying," she told the court.

The witness further testified that during church teachings, Mackenzie repeatedly preached that the world was coming to an end and discouraged his followers from seeking education or medical treatment, describing both as evil.

She also told the court that women were prohibited from plaiting their hair or wearing make-up because such practices were allegedly unbiblical. Followers were equally discouraged from registering for Huduma Numbers, which they were allegedly told were contrary to God's plan.

Prosecution also presented an emotional testimony from an 18-year-old witness identified as NK, whose identity was similarly protected by the court.

She testified that co-accused Shallyne Temba repeatedly visited her family’s home and persuaded her mother to relocate to Kw a Binzaro for prayer and fasting in preparation for heaven.

According to the witness, she later spoke directly to Mackenzie through Temba's mobile phone while he was being held at Shimo la Tewa Maximum Security Prison.

"The phone was passed to me, and I told Mackenzie I was ready to fast. He told me that time was running out and that we needed to hurry," she testified.

NK told the court that after fasting for seven days, she became too weak to continue and requested to return home. However, she said co-accused Kahindi Garama refused her request, telling her she was too weak to leave because people would question where she had been.

The witness further testified that after she and her mother broke their fast because they could no longer endure the starvation, Shallyne informed Mackenzie by telephone. She said she heard the conversation over a loudspeaker and recognised Mackenzie's voice.

"I clearly heard Mackenzie instruct Shallyne to hand the phone to me because I had known his voice for a long time while attending the Good News International Church in Furunzi," she testified.

She told the court that Mackenzie instructed her to cooperate with the accused persons so that she could regain her strength before returning home. However, the accused persons allegedly continued persuading her to resume fasting.

The witness also narrated that when she repeatedly demanded water and banged on the door in protest, she was tied by her arms and legs before eventually being untied after her mother's intervention.

Proceedings were temporarily halted after the witness broke down in tears during cross-examination by Mackenzie's defence counsel.

In an emotional statement before the court, the witness lamented the opportunities she lost after dropping out of school.

"I wish I had the opportunity to go to school and get a good education like you and become someone important in society. It pains me to see your client following these proceedings because he greatly contributed to my dropping out of school," she said.

Pastor Paul Mackenzie, alongside Shallyne Temba, Kahindi Garama, Tom Mkonwe, Julius Luwali and Johnson Richard, faces 29 counts of manslaughter.

The accused persons are alleged to have jointly caused the deaths of 29 people between January and July 2025 at Kwa Binzaro in Chakama Location, Magarini Sub-County, Kilifi County.