Families recall how kin joined Makenzi cult

A sombre mood engulfed families of those who perished in the Shakahola forest as they thronged Malindi Hospital Mortuary to collect bodies of their loved ones.

Tears rolled down William Ponda’s cheeks as he collected the bodies of his mother, Esther Biria Masha, nephews Harry Ngonyo and Seth Hinzani Ngala, and a sister-in-law, Emily Wanje.

His other nephew, Evabra Dito Ngala’s body was not released on Tuesday because DNA samples collected from a body they believed was his did not match any relative.

It was the disappearance and death of members of Ngala’s family that sparked a reaction that unearthed the cult activities on March 25, 2023.

When cult leader Paul Makenzi said the world would end last year in August, Ponda’s brother Isaac Ngala believed him.

He and his family had been ardent followers of Mackenzie since 2015 and had first gone to Shakahola in 2021, and then kept coming and going.

“They first went into Shakahola forest to fast and pray in 2021, and then kept coming and going,” said a teary Ponda who said the whereabouts of his brother, a former GSU officer, are still unknown.

“Isaac was a police officer but after joining Makenzi, he quit his job, took his wife, their three children, and our mother to Shakahola forest to join Makenzi,” recalled Ponda.

He told the family that ‘it’s better to be God’s soldier than serving human beings.’

However, the tell-tale signs that Makenzi’s Good News International Ministries had turned into a cult started to emerge after the ex-GSU officer and his wife stopped taking their kids to school.

According to Ponda, Emily started campaigns against family planning methods, schools, medicine, and other earthly possessions in their Muyeye village in Malindi, Kilifi County.

“My brother quit his job saying it was better to be God’s soldier than serving human beings,” said Ponda.

The bodies of Isaac Ngala and his last-born son, Imani Ngala alias Evabra, have not yet been identified, and the family has decided to keep the five bodies at a morgue hoping to get the rest.

“We are not ready for burial, so we have transferred their remains to Star Funeral Home. Burial is scheduled to take place on April 5 at Muyeye village in Malindi,” said Ponda.

Stephen Mwiti, from Kianjai village in Meru, recalls how his wife defied his orders and ran to Shakahola forest together with their six sons.

Stephen says his wife disappeared with the children while he was away for work.

“My wife was pregnant when she left in 2022 with our children. Hellen Karimi, nine years old, Samuel Kirimil, seven, Jacob Kimathi, three, Lillian Gatumbi, 18 months, and Angelina Gatumbi, seven months old,” he says.

Mwiti later found out that his wife had given birth to a son, who also died. However, his wife Juan Bahati was rescued by the police and she is among the 65 suspects charged together with Makenzi.