It was a huge relief on Monday, April 24, for a family from Kisii County reunited with its loved one who travelled to Shakahola village in Kilifi County to meet controversial pastor, Paul Mackenzie.
The victim, who was too weak to stand, shared his inspiration behind joining Mackenzie's radical Good News International Church.
Speaking to the media while leaning on a stretcher, the victim revealed that he decided to join the cult after reports alleged that Mackenzie could save individuals from socio-economic challenges such as poverty.
"I went to Shakahola after being inspired by the place's popularity compared to where I used to live.
"I felt like the life that I was living was bad and I needed help. I wanted a place where I could live without being disturbed by anyone," the victim stated.
The man lamented that he did not know about forced deaths until he reached the camp in Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County. His pursuit for economic gains turned into a tragedy when he was asked to dry fast and prepare to meet God in June 2023.
As fate would have it, the man watched helplessly as believers fasted for days and slowly but surely died in the vast forest of death, the famous Shakahola.
Meanwhile, another family was not too lucky after they failed to trace some of their loved ones who had been living and praying in the Shakahola forest under the leadership of Pastor Paul Mackenzie.
The family member of one of the victims of religious extremist Paul Mackenzie on Monday, April 24, revealed the stratagems that the Kilifi-based preacher used on his victims.
Roseline Asena first heard of the Good News International church in 2017 through her younger brother’s wife, who lived in Mombasa at the time with her husband.
At the time, Asena's sister-in-law was worried about the religious trajectory that her husband had taken, especially, when it came to extreme beliefs that had affected their family.
Years later, both Asena's sister-in-law, her husband and their children had become victims of Paula Mackenzie's cult-like teachings that had claimed over seventy lives.
On Monday, April 24, Asena went on a televised broadcast to expose Paul Mackenzie's tricks which she claimed will continue to destroy many innocent lives if left unchecked.
Asena stated that Mackenzie used the following as his key strategy to win the hearts and minds of his followers.
1. Detachment from Family
Once the victims joined the Good News International Church, they never returned to their families, no matter the protestations by the relatives.
The victims were also barred from holding conversations or telephone calls with their relatives, especially, close ones like brothers, sisters and parents.
"I tried calling my brother's phone but it could not go through. Later, my aunt called and it was received by another person who was not my brother," Asena stated.
The victims are conditioned to live within the Church complex, where they were taken care of until the point of death, which was induced through extreme dry fast.
"When another brother of mine went to the place to find out what was happening, he was told that he was at Malindi Hospital.
"To date, we don't know where the children are. It is our hope and prayer that we will find the children," Asena stated.
2. Isolation
The Good News International Church faithful were isolated within the complex and never mixed with the general society.
According to the victim's sister, those worshipping at the church complex could only live within the Shakahola Forest, far from the rest of the Kilifi community.
"My brother's wife warned us that he was being misled by the church," Asena narrated as he warned residents of Kilifi to take care of their loved ones from religious extremists.
Previously, Paul Mackenzie was arrested for unlawful detention of his followers, including children apparently conditioned not to take formal education.
Mackenzie was later taken to court and charged with promoting radicalisation and teaching children in an unregistered school at his church.
Immediately after denying charges, Mackenzie was released on a Ksh500,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount.
3. Destruction of Legal Identities
According to Roseline Asena, his brother had to destroy all important documents, such as ID cards, Birth certificates and academic certificates, after joining Good News International Church.
"He burnt even the identification documents, and birth certificates and threw their school books into the toilet. My brother's wife ran away to her parent's home, but my brother followed her and convinced her to return," Asena stated.
4. Prohibition of Education
A contingent of police officers from Kilifi in October 2017, raided the Good News International church and rescued about 93 children, leading to another round of arrest of Pastor Mackenzie and some church members.
Asena stated that children kept at the facility were prevented from attending school since the church's religious beliefs forbade formal academics.
As a result, Asena's brother took his children from school and forced them to stay within the church complex.
"He destroyed all school books and stopped the children from going to school," Asena noted.
5. Heavenly Promises
It was alleged that the people who wanted to see God were supposed to fast to death.
At least 73 bodies were exhumed, while 26 others were rescued from Shakahola Forest, as the search for more victims continues.
Asena lamented that his relatives had been misled into believing that the only way to see God is to fast to death.
“He became a different person I could not recognise because all along we had grown up going to the hospital -- I tried to talk it out with him but it would end up in a quarrel,” Asena stated.
Leaders from across political divides expressed their concerns over Pastor Paul Mackenzie's Good News International church which was alleged to have controversially buried at least 73.
President William Ruto broke his silence over the matter and accused Mackenzie of participating in terrorist activities by influencing his followers to fast to death.
Ruto noted that Mackenzie was a Church leader but a suspected terrorist using religion to advance his unusual ideologies.
“We must, as a nation, continuously look out for those who want to abuse, even the religious sector. People are masquerading as religious people, yet what they do is contrary to the teachings and beliefs of religion, whether Christian, Muslim or any other religion.
“What we are seeing in Shakahola, Kilifi county is akin to terrorism. There is no difference between Mr Mackenzie who pretends and postures as a pastor when in fact, he is a terrible criminal,” Ruto assured.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi called on the state to ensure Mackenzie gets the harshest punishment possible to serve justice for the horrendous deaths of innocent people.
Kingi stated that the Shakahola massacre should serve as a wake-up call to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the community policing program.
“How did such a heinous crime, organized and executed over a considerable period of time, escape the radar of our intelligence system? How did evil of such an astounding magnitude take place without being detected? How did this ‘pastor’ gather so many people, indoctrinated, brainwashed and starved them to death in the name of religion and then buried them in a forest without being detected?” he posed.
Other leaders who commented on the matter included National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, who called on the Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, to resign for failure to secure Kenyans from such rogue preachers.
On her part, Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri noted that the revelations point to the need to address all forms of radicalisation.
Okenyuri disagreed with sentiments calling on regulating places of worship, noting that the problem is not necessarily with religion or worship.
"Freedom of worship must not be interfered with. Focusing on freedom of worship actually makes things worse. It helps criminals hide under the cover of religion. The problem is with enforcing laws that exist. Fraud is against the law.
"Suicide and murder - singular or en mass is against the law. We need to find out why the law was not enforced and why local law enforcement officials didn’t act in time," Okenyuri stated.
