A witness in the manslaughter case against Paul Mackenzie has testified that the controversial preacher paid bond for his father, a parishioner at Mackenzie’s Good News International Church, after he was arrested for taking his children out of school.
The case is linked to the infamous 2023 Shakahola cult tragedy in Malindi, Kilifi County, where Mackenzie allegedly instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children to death in order to reach heaven, resulting in over 400 deaths.
The preacher also discouraged followers from attending school, labeling it as ungodly, according to witness statements.
Jimmy Mganga testified on Tuesday that his father had removed two of his children, including a Class 3 student and a Form 4 student, from school.
Concerned, Mganga reported the matter to the Ministry of Education, leading to his father’s arrest and subsequent charge in Malindi Court.
Mganga told the court that his father was released after being granted a sh. 10,000 bond, which was paid by Mackenzie.
“I couldn’t pursue my siblings’ education further because my family turned against me, accusing me of wanting to imprison my father.
He told me never to approach him again,” Mganga recalled.
He also explained that his father traveled to Shakahola, claiming he was buying land, but returned later to take his three daughters, leaving Mganga and his two brothers behind.
Mganga added that Mackenzie, who was a close friend of his father, had even presided over his parents’ wedding in 2014 and would regularly visit their home.
Mganga, who attended Mackenzie’s church in 2009, left after disagreeing with the church’s teachings.
Mackenzie is currently in police custody, facing charges of terrorism alongside 94 co-defendants, who also face charges of murder, manslaughter, child cruelty, and torture.
All defendants deny any wrongdoing.
Over 440 bodies have been discovered in Shakahola forest, with autopsies revealing that many victims died from starvation, while others were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.
Some bodies were also found with organs removed.
