Shakahola deaths: Agony of missing 11 family members

A cloud of Sadness fused with nostalgia hangs over Justus Mose’s face as he recalls memories of his two brothers, Richard Omwando Mose and Joseph Thabo Mose, who are missing with their spouses and children, all totalling to 11 family members.

Mose remembers when his younger brother Omwando, 47, last visited him at his farm in Joska, Machakos on January 12.

During the visit, Omwando assured him that they were all doing fine. But a few months later, the reality struck home as the chilling Shakahola cult deaths saga unfolded.

Omwando had five children, including two university graduates, one of whom was left behind as they travelled. Thabo, 43, had two children initially and a third one was born while they were in Shakahola.

Today, Mose says they are prepared for any news – the good and the worst, about the 11 missing family members.

Change tune

“They used to live in Joska, a walking distance from my farm. So that day in January, he and his two children visited us. As they were leaving, he asked that we sell them some vegetables. That was the last time I saw my brother,” recalls the freelance photographer-cum-farmer.

Initially, the two brothers said they, together with their families, had travelled to Malindi where they planned to buy land.

A few days later, they changed tune, saying they had discovered that the parcel that they intended to buy was entangled in irregularities since “it lacked proper documents.”

With the failure of the deal, they claimed, they had settled for a better offer in the neighbouring Tanzania where, they said, life was going on well.

It would later emerge that the alleged land in Tanzania was none other than that of cult leader Paul Mackenzie in Shakahola, which has now captured the world’s attention over the death of hundreds of followers.

But unlike most of the Shakahola victims who reportedly cut off communication with the rest of the world, it was a different case for Mose’s relatives who could occasionally be reached on phone.

They would even asked to be send some foodstuff, including sour milk and other items. They would instruct that the parcels be sent by bus to Malindi and that from there, they would organise for other means to transport the items to Tanzania.

Wild goose chase

Despite the fact that there is no direct link between Malindi and Tanzania, the relatives would go ahead to park the cargo and send it.

“When on April 27 we heard about the discovery of shallow graves and children being forced to starve to death in Shakahola, I called them to find out whether they were involved. They said they were not in Shakahola. Omwando said he was in Malindi but the younger one said they were in Tanzania doing farming and that they were okay. He admitted that they were once members Mackenzie’s church but they left after it was shut down,” Mose recalled in an interview with People Daily.

After they communicated that Thursday, he said, Omwando sent some money to her daughter who was left behind. And that was the last time they communicated.

The relatives have since embarked on a search for their relatives but to no avail. According to Mose, all their efforts have been like a wild goose chase.

“On April 29, I went to Malindi Hospital to see if I could identify any of the rescued members but I did not. When I showed them their photographs, some of the rescued victims confirmed to me that they knew my brothers and that they were together in the forest,” he recalled.

Mose said his DNA samples were collected and he also took his mother and brother’s daughter to Nairobi where their DNA samples were collected.

“We are waiting to see whether there will be any match,” he explained.

Swindlers

According to Mose, the rescued victims had told him that by the time the authorities started combing the forest, his relatives had not began the fast.

“They in fact told me that the wife of one of my brothers had a stock of food that could last for long. But they also told me that after the authorities invaded the forest and scattered the cult followers, some of them, including those who had not started the fast, ended up starving because it was difficult to access food and water in the wilderness,” he said.

Besides the agony of not knowing whether their relatives are dead or alive, Mose says they also have to tiptoe through a minefield of romours and false stories placed by crooks out to take advantage of the situation.  

Fraudsters are now using their plight to siphon money from the family by claiming that they have found their missing relatives.

“A person who claimed to be a DCI officer in Malindi called our rural home DCI station in Borabu and claimed he had information about our relatives. He claimed that my two brothers had been found in a bad shape and were supposed to be flown to Kenyatta National Hospital, hence money was required to facilitate their movement. My sister and mother sent Sh7,000… I tried to intervene but it was too late,” he explained.

Mose’s fears that they had been swindled were confirmed when he sought clarification from the authorities on the ground in Malindi who him told that the claims about his brothers being found were false.

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