DPP closes first Shakahola massacre case after 13 months

Controversial preacher Paul Makenzi with his co-accused at Mombasa Law Courts during the hearing of the Shakahola massacre case. [File, Standard] The prosecution hopes that it flipped the burden of proof to controversial pastor Paul Makenzi and 34 others charged with subjecting children to torture, cruelty and denial of basic education. The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) produced 76 witnesses, including 16 protected witnesses, among them 13 children subjected to torture by the cult inside Shakahola forest. On the final day of the 13-month prosecution, 21-year-old Israel Veronica from Malindi, whose parents and uncle are among the accused, offered a harrowing account of her childhood. She told Tononoka Children's Court Principal Magistrate Nely Chepchirchir that she and her six siblings were pulled out of school in 2019 by their father, who claimed education was sinful. Ms Israel said her family later relocated from Kasarani, Nairobi, to Shakahola after selling all their belongings, including land. In closing the case, the prosecution thanked witnesses who gave their accounts, hoping they convinced the magistrate, effectively reversing the burden of proof to the accused. Among the key witnesses is the Children's Officer Omar Mohamed, who told the court how three minors rescued from Shakahola were withdrawn from school and forced into fasting rituals. The children, he testified, were found severely malnourished but have since received treatment, counselling and re-enrolment into school, with one girl now thriving in secondary school. The DPP presented 112 exhibits to support its case, ranging from expert reports, literature, photographs, and videos, and the first witness took to the stand on July 24, 2024. Among those who testified were survivors of the massacre, relatives of victims, accused persons and investigators who pieced together evidence over several months. Several of the children had never attended school, citing Makenzi's sermons and broadcasts on Times TV that condemned both formal education and medical treatment. Psychologists and counsellors testified how many of the rescued minors continue to suffer long-term trauma as they presented findings of nightmares, withdrawal, traumatic grief and fear. Senior Sergeant Cyrus Irungu, one of the first responders, narrated how he encountered a frail boy being carried by his grandmother from the forest, and when asked about his siblings, the child pointed to a flattened patch of land, a chilling indication that his brothers and sisters had been buried there. Mr Henry Kiptoo, an analyst at the Government Chemist Department in Nairobi, produced laboratory reports to prove that kids died due to malnutrition and prolonged starvation. Chief Inspector Joseph Kolum of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) produced a comprehensive 74,658-page forensic report from Mackenzie's two mobile phones. Using the Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED), Kolum extracted conversations between Makenzi and his followers centring on fasting, prophecy, the Antichrist, the Beast, the New World Order, and the number 666 - themes that prosecutors argued were central to the indoctrination of children and the justification for extreme practices such as starvation. Dr Richard Njoroge, a government pathologist who conducted postmortems, reinforced the prosecution's claim that the deaths were systematically orchestrated. A boda boda rider from Kiambu recalled how his wife left with their four children under Mackenzie's influence and later returned with fewer children before vanishing completely. After a 13-month hearing, the court is now expected to set a date for submissions on whether Makenzi and his co-accused have a case to answer before delivering its ruling. Mackenzie and other co-accused face separate murder, manslaughter and terrorism-related charges at Mombasa High Court, Mombasa Law Court and Shanzu Law Courts. The matter is scheduled for mention on 14th October 2025 to confirm if the proceedings have been typed for purposes of submission.

DPP closes first Shakahola massacre case after 13 months

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS

DIGGER JOBS

Digger Motors

Digger Real Estate

DPP closes first Shakahola massacre case after 13 months

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Trending Now

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS