In the depths of Shakahola forest, dubbed ‘Jangwani,’ lay sections with Biblical names like Bethlehem, Capernaum, Samaria, Galilee, and Judah. Galilee, the abode of Mackenzie, became a sinister sanctuary.
A minor under witness protection on Thursday recounted how parents were commanded to starve their children, promising them a celestial meeting with Christ in Heaven.
On the fourth day of this week’s hearing, the witness painfully recounted how his mother, blinded by Mackenzie’s teachings, led him and his brother into the dreaded forest.
She ensured they dropped out of primary school in Mshomoroni, Mombasa. In October 2020, armed with nothing but clothes and a few utensils, the mother and her two sons sneaked out while their father, a matatu driver in Mombasa, was away.
They boarded a matatu from Mshomoroni to Malindi. At Mackenzie’s church, they were ushered into a lorry, with the final stop being Shakahola forest.
Soon after, forced fasting was introduced. Mackenzie claimed to have conversed with Jesus, who revealed that ‘the Son of God’ would no longer come to earth; instead, men would meet him in heaven through ‘fasting’ to death.
The witness recounted the alarming deaths of children, especially those under six years. The tragic highlight was the passing of four siblings, all under ten years old.
The brothers, unimpressed by the ordeal, attempted to escape the hunger by fleeing from the highly guarded forest. However, fate intervened, and they were recaptured by Mackenzie’s operatives while waiting for a vehicle by the roadside.
They were taken to Mackenzie’s home and ordered to be guarded until their mother’s return. They had no choice but to join the other children in fasting.
Tragically, the witness’s 10-year-old brother succumbed to the fasting after a month. The witness narrated how he was separated from his mother a few days later.
Upon inquiring about her whereabouts, he was shocked to learn of her passing. Fortunately, police officers arrived just in time to rescue them, taking them through a delicate process of treatment and counselling.
As the listeners absorbed the shocking narration, a somber mood engulfed the courtroom. The next witness, a Muslim minor, recounted how he once fell ill at their home in Malindi.
His mother and sister took him to Mackenzie’s Good News International Church for prayers. Feeling better after the prayers, their faith strengthened, and they decided to follow Mackenzie’s teachings, quoting Bible verses like Colossians 2:8 and 2:20.
This led him and his sister to drop out of class 4 and 6 respectively and avoid hospital visits, enrolling in ‘Biblical study’ classes at Mackenzie’s church.
The witness narrated that they were rescued by law enforcement officers and later returned to school against his mother’s wishes, while his sister opted for early marriage.
Despite this, their mother remained devoted to Mackenzie’s twisted teachings. In 2020, she sold household goods, claiming she was heading to their other home in Kakoneni.
A year later, she returned, appearing feeble, revealing she had been in Shakahola and intended to return. Despite the witness’s pleas, she was unmoved and returned to Shakahola in February 2023.
The witness never saw her again. The session ended with an adjournment of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Proceeds of Crime Act cases facing Mackenzie and his 92 co-accused persons until October 28, 2024.