The Directorate of Public Prosecutions has closed its case against Good News International Church leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 96 co-accused in the Shakahola massacre trial after investigators presented evidence of a systematic radicalization campaign that led to hundreds of deaths in Shakahola Forest, Kilifi County.
Principal Magistrate Leah Juma closed the prosecution case after hearing testimonies from four investigators who detailed how Mackenzie used the Good News International church to indoctrinate followers through extreme biblical teachings spread over more than a decade.
Chief Inspector Raphael Wanjohi told the court that Mackenzie relied heavily on media platforms to spread his doctrine, including Times Television, which was shut down in 2019 for airing radical content, YouTube channels, seminars, crusades, and WhatsApp groups that attracted large followings both online and physically.
The court heard that between 2020 and 2023, Mackenzie and his associates intensified their tactics, isolating followers from society and instructing them to abandon formal education, healthcare, and government institutions.
Investigators said parents were persuaded to withdraw their children from school and relocate to Shakahola forest, often telling relatives they were moving to Malindi to buy land.
The prosecution presented evidence that Mackenzie acquired 480 acres of land in Shakahola, which he subdivided into villages bearing biblical names, including Galilee, Bethlehem, Judea, and Emmaus. The settlements operated under a rigid leadership structure, with Mackenzie at the helm, assisted by deputies, guards to enforce obedience, gravediggers, and cooks.
According to investigators, 426 bodies were exhumed from the Shakahola forest, with many other victims believed to remain uncounted. Medical reports and forensic examinations showed that fasting was initially voluntary but later enforced through denial of food and water, particularly targeting children and women, who were allegedly designated to die before men.
Inspector Onyango Owade testified that 28 minors rescued from the forest recounted being subjected to mental torture and strict orders to fast to death, contradicting claims by the accused that the deaths were voluntary.
Doctors who treated survivors for severe dehydration and severe emaciation corroborated the children’s accounts, while forensic pathologists linked the causes of death to starvation and related illnesses.
Chief Inspector Peter Mwangi told the court that DNA analysis established that most of the accused persons were parents or close relatives of children who died in the forest, while others were spouses of fellow suspects. In some cases, entire nuclear families perished.
The court heard that books recovered from homesteads detailed payments made by parents and listed the names of deceased and surviving children.
Investigators recovered Bibles, DVDs, and other religious materials from the forest, which were submitted to counter-terrorism experts and religious scholars for analysis. The experts concluded that Mackenzie twisted key biblical passages to advance extremist teachings that promoted rejection of education, healthcare, and normal social life.
Constable Detective Alfred Mwatika testified that the extreme ideology preached by Mackenzie led to mass loss of life, withdrawal of children from school, and denial of medication, all labeled satanic by the preacher.
Mwatika told the court that as a result of radicalization, several followers resigned from their jobs, closed businesses, and disposed of property before relocating to Shakahola. He described the conduct as a drastic behavioral change driven by an extreme belief system motivated by ideological-based violence.
Investigators described Good News International as an organized criminal group with a clear hierarchy and defined roles. The church, which had at least 25 branches across the country, was gazetted as a criminal organization in January 2024.
Prosecutors said Mackenzie and his co-accused used the structure to commit offenses including radicalization, murder, manslaughter, torture, and cruelty to children.
The hearing began on July 8, 2024, with the prosecution calling 96 witnesses, including massacre survivors, experts, and investigators, and produced about 500 assorted exhibits. With the prosecution case now closed, the court will set a date for further submissions to take place, from which the court is expected to rule on whether Mackenzie and his 96 co-accused have a case to answer.
By Sitati Reagan
