A local chief in Kilifi County on Monday told a Shanzu court how early warnings about Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s activities in Shakahola went unheeded, as the prosecution pressed forward with its terrorism case against the controversial preacher and 94 others.
The chief, testifying as the 25th prosecution witness, described a series of distress signals between 2020 and 2023 that pointed to a growing crisis at Good News International Ministries. Mackenzie and his followers are accused of running an organized criminal group that radicalized members into fasting to death, leading to the deaths of at least 429 people in the dense forest.
Authorities say Mackenzie’s group engaged in terrorist activities, facilitated extreme religious indoctrination, and possessed materials linked to the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Prosecutors on Monday presented two witnesses as they sought to build their case that Mackenzie’s movement was not just a fringe religious sect but an operation that systematically led to mass casualties.
The chief recounted how he was first alerted while on an official tour in Kathama, when two police officers told him they were tracking missing persons whose mobile signals had last been traced to Shakahola. Around the same time, a Tanzanian national approached him, saying their relative had vanished after joining Mackenzie’s group.
It wasn’t the only red flag. A village elder and a pastor reported rescuing children who had escaped from the forest, appearing weak and traumatized. Separately, a local farmer told the chief he had seen four frail individuals wandering Shakahola, pleading for help.
“I received reports of suspicious activities but never imagined the scale of what was happening,” the chief testified.
Mackenzie and his co-accused deny the charges, maintaining that their actions were religiously motivated. The case continues.
