A 17-year-old teenage girl yesterday recounted how she was forced to fast for 38 days in Shakahola Forest in order to hasten her death.

Testifying in the case where the Shakahola cult leader, Paul Mackenzie and his 94 followers are charged
with the murder of over 400 people, the witness whose name is withheld because she is under witness protection revealed that for the 38 days, she survived by stealing and sipping water whenever her mother stepped out of the shack they called home inside the Shakahola Forest.

She narrated how the self proclaimed pastor had, sometime last year, suddenly announced to his followers, whom he had lured to the forest on the promise of acquiring cheap land, that they would henceforth start fasting to accelerate their date with Jesus Christ. He branded the exercise “express lockdown,” the witness told Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku.

“When the fasting began, l witnessed the deaths of six children who were our neighbours, the father to those kids is here in court. Upon their deaths, they were covered with baby shawls and buried in shallow graves which were later flattened.

Their deaths were termed as “Kulala” or going to sleep,” she said. She revealed how such deaths as
a result of starvation would be announced during the Saturday meetings as a way to motivate Mackenzie’s followers to fast and hasten their deaths.

“Before our rescue l had fasted for 38 days. I would however steal water and drink it whenever my mother left the house,” she stated.

The witness started her testimony by giving a blow to blow account of how her own mother forced her out of school to join the Paul Mackenzie led starvation cult inside the Shakahola Forest.

School drop out

The minor informed the court that she was forced to drop out of school at Grade Four in 2020 without the permission of her father and later ferried to Mombasa.

“I remember the day my mother picked me from my school, it was on a Friday, she brought me to Mombasa and upon arrival we would attend church at Mpango Saba in Mishomoroni, it was one of the branches that was owned by Pastor Mackenzie whom we referred to as “Mtumishi” (servant of God),” she revealed.

She went on to narrate to the court that in September of the same year, they moved to Furunzi area in Malindi where they began attending Mackenzie’s church.

According to the witness, Mackenzie would often preach against parents taking their children to school terming it “evil.” He would also preach to adults to quit their jobs and sell all their earthly possessions in readiness to go to heaven. He would also preach against the use of contemporary medicine, terming it evil too.

Relocate to Chakama

“In September 2020 we were informed there was land available and in the same year in October in a seminar that was held in Mtwapa, we were asked to relocate to Chakama where there was land available.

The land was being sold from Sh500 to Sh1,000. My mother managed to buy two acres and we relocated to Chakama, upon arrival we were to settled in Shakahola,” she informed the court. She told the court
how her mother who is among one of the accused persons sold all their belongings and remained with a mattress and utensils.

“On the day we were set to relocate to Shakahola, we spent our night at Malindi Furunzi church and Mackenzie’s followers were ferried using a lorry that was christened “Times TV. The final Trumpet.” Inside was Mackenzie too,” the court heard.

She informed the court that upon arrival in the forest, they settled in a village called Galilea where there were two tents, one for men and the other for women.

“The following day we were instructed to shift and get a temporary structure that would now be our new
home, there were guards who were close to Mackenzie and did the allocation of the land. One of them is
Alex whom we referred to as Alex wa mashamba, he is one of the accused persons,” the witness stated.

She said she was among those selected by Mackenzie alongside her mother as his servants. Their task was to move door to door spreading the gospel, the court heard.

“There was no church inside the forest and we would often hold meetings on Saturdays in a village known as Judea. During one of the meetings l was appointed as a servant to be doing door to door preaching,” she stated.

Hearing continues.