Shakahola horror: Witnesses tell of children starved and tortured

The case against Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the self-proclaimed pastor at the center of the Shakahola massacre, resumed on Tuesday at the Tononoka Children’s Court in Mombasa, with disturbing accounts of children being tortured and starved.

Mackenzie and 38 co-accused face charges related to the torture and cruelty of children, as harrowing witness testimonies painted a bleak picture of life within the Good News International Church.

Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir presided over the hearing, where five witnesses described the suffering endured by children under Mackenzie’s influence.

The court was told of extreme fasting, beatings, and deliberate denial of basic needs.

These practices contributed to what is now one of Kenya’s worst cult tragedies, where 429 bodies were exhumed from shallow graves in the Shakahola Forest.

Many victims, including children, died from starvation, suffocation, and unexplained injuries.

Children deprived of basic rights

Helen Mwikali Kimwele, the manager of Mayungu Children’s Centre in Malindi, told the court that in 2017, 43 children aged between 4 and 13 were rescued from Mackenzie’s followers and placed under her care.

She presented an admission register showing how the children had been denied education and medical treatment.

"The children were in a dire state," she said, adding that the parents later signed plea agreements in Malindi promising to take their children back to school and provide medical care.

However, most of these children later went missing and are now believed to have died in the Shakahola forest five years later.

The court heard that Mackenzie encouraged followers to fast to "meet Jesus," resulting in widespread deaths. The first bodies recovered from the 800-acre land were mostly those of children, some found buried beside their parents.

A survivor’s escape and a brother’s death

A social worker testified about a 13-year-old boy who had been rescued from Shakahola, only to be returned to his father, Gilbert Khea, one of the accused, in 2019.

The boy’s father used a court order and lawyer’s letter to collect him and signed forms promising to keep the children’s center informed. He then disappeared.

The boy resurfaced on March 25, 2023, cycling through the night to escape the forest.

"A colleague called to say the boy had returned," the witness said. "We immediately contacted the children’s officers, re-admitted him, and began counseling and school reintegration."

The boy described brutal conditions, widespread starvation, and the death of his younger brother due to hunger. He also begged for other children to be rescued.

Systemic failures and missing children

Another witness, a school principal, testified that a GNI follower had pulled his two sons out of school to join Mackenzie in Shakahola. The boys have never been seen again.

The court also heard that Mackenzie summoned followers to his farm for fasting, which investigators say caused the deaths of 214 people from starvation, 39 from asphyxia, and 14 from head injuries.

Some causes of death remain undetermined.

Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 and has remained in custody with his associates.

He faces multiple charges in Malindi, Mombasa, Shanzu, and Tononoka courts, including murder, manslaughter, terrorism, and child cruelty.

In January 2024, he and 94 others pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in another court.

Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku denied them bail, citing the lack of a fixed residence.

As the court proceedings continue, more witnesses are expected to testify.

For families of the victims, the hearings represent a step toward justice and answers in the face of devastating loss.