A relative to the victims of the Shakahola massacre on Wednesday, April 27, lifted a lid on covert activities that cult leader Paul Mackenzie subjected his followers.
Appearing on Citizen TV, Francis Wanje, the tragedy's whistleblower who lost two of his grandsons in the Shakahola massacre, stated that Mackenzie had three phases of death for Good News International cult faithful.
In Shakahola, death was almost visible, and it came with excruciating pain as Paul Mackenzie and his aides stood guard to watch children, women and men die slow but agonizing deaths after extreme fasting.
"Starving was taking place in phases, in which the first phase was to starve children to death, then the second phase was to starve women to death and the final phase was for the men," Wanje revealed.
The personification of the fortuitous deaths was amplified by a group of Mackenzie's burial commandos who stood guard to casually dig the graves and make illogical rites to a life of brainwashing.
According to Wanje, the horrendous mass deaths began in March 2023 when Mackenzie hatched a plan to spuriously transfer his followers to their makers - a journey that was statically aided by undernourishment.
"When I reported the matter on March 17, 2023, it was still the phase of children, not women or men. I knew that there were many children who had lost their lives through starvation," the whistleblower added.
Wanje narrated a tedious search rescue mission that was conducted in the dead of the night and largely assisted by a defector who led him to a compound that belonged to the controversial Good News International preacher, Paul Mackenzie.
At the compound, Wanje's team found one of his grandsons staring at the grim reaper, and unhurriedly being prepared for his death through food and water deprivation.
"Unfortunately, I did not find two of my grandsons. That is when I decided to once again report the matter to matter to the authorities.
"I reported the matter to Lango Baya Police Station which is the nearest post to Shakahola Forest. Most of the time, police in Shakahola would transfer cases to Malindi Police Station instead of dealing with them," he emphatically stated.
It was at Lango Baya Police Station where a series of blunders led to the embodying of the controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie's plans to conduct what is currently known as the Shakahola Massacre.
"I first reported the matter on March 17, 2023, and I expected the authority to move very fast to save the lives of many who are dying in the forest but it did not happen at all," he recalled.
The helpless Wanje then decided to raise an alarm with senior government officials who he appreciated for their concerns and actions that led to the discovery of more than 95 graves in Shakahola forest.
"I even went to politicians' and human rights organisations' offices but unfortunately, nothing was done to save the children.
"I then decided to visit the offices of the Kilifi County Commander of Police, the Governor's Office and the County Commissioner," he narrated.
In response to Wanje's report, the Kilifi County Commander of Police called officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) who visited the forest and began rescuing more people.
As of Thursday, April 27, eight more bodies of children had been exhumed in cult leader Paul Mackenzie’s homestead, raising the total death toll of the Shakahola massacre to 98.
At the time, at least 36 people had been rescued from starvation which they believed would help them die in order to meet their creator.
On Wednesday, April 26, investigating officers revealed that some of the bodies that had been exhumed had bodily injuries, including severe head injuries and strangulation marks on the neck, indicating that some of the deceased might have been killed.
In order to work faster, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Shakahola after declaring it a disturbed area.
Kindiki equally banned public gatherings, processions or movement either alone or as a group during the period of curfew into and out of Chakama Ranch for the next 30 days.
