By Tajeu Shadrack Nkapapa
A witness in the Shakahola massacre case recounted to a Mombasa Court the circumstances under which Paul Nthenge Mackenzie moved to the region after successfully arranging sale agreements with the land’s settlers.
The controverial preacher subsequently made goodwill payments, known as “Kajama” within the Mijikenda community, prior to establishing his residence on the property.
Shadrack Yaa, the eleventh witness in this case involving Mackenzie and 95 others, told court he had resided in the land since birth 42 years ago.
He was led in his testimony by the Prosecutions team consisting Senior Assistant DPP, Peter Kiprop, Assistant DPP, Jami Yamina, PPC Betty Rubia, J.V Owiti and Alex Gituma, SPC Victor Simbi and PC Yassir Mohamed and PC Hilary Isiaho.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) stated that a businessman and farmer, who operates a cereals shop in Shakahola, provided testimony indicating that his family had inhabited the extensive land for many years prior to the arrival of Mackenzie, whom he recognized from television preaching, as their neighbor.
Following the initial acquisition of land from his uncle, Yaa stated that Mackenzie approached him, leading to an agreement in which Yaa would sell the preacher 10 acres of land for Ksh 50,000 in Kajama.
The witness said that agreement heard by the court, was signed at Mackenzie’s church in Furunzi, Malindi, in 2020.
Shortly thereafter, a number of individuals characterized by their “short hair and respectable attire” took possession of the land and regularly visited Baya’s shop to buy cereals.
In 2023, the witness reported that a neighbor at the Shakahola property disclosed to him that Mackenzie had sold him a parcel of land on the stipulation that he “does not engage in farming or any work.”
The neighbour later claimed the same land had been allocated to someone else.The witness said that he later received a distress call in which he was informed 14 children had died at Mackenzie’s farm in controversial circumstances.
He reported the matter to authorities in a telephone call and hours later, the Mackenzie was arrested in an event that was widely reported in the mainstream media.The witness says he later visited the farm in the company of an area politician and policemen and they stumbled on “very weak people” who were rescued and taken to hospital.Earlier, the tenth witness in the case also testified before Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku.
The witness under witness protection testified in court about being compelled by his father to abandon Islam in favor of Christianity, adhering to the teachings of Paul Mackenzie, who was referred to as “Mtumishi” by Times TV.
The witness added that, his father who was also a muslim but converted to Christianity also forced him out of schooling in 2021 while at standard seven in a school in Nairobi and ferried him to Shakahola.
The witnesses further told the court that in his teachings, Mackenzie told them to avoid registering for the Huduma number since it was an animal’s mark that is satanic.He added that Mackenzie quoted several Bible verses which he said were supporting his statement that education and seeking medical treatment was against the will of God.
“The court further heard that during meetings called by Mackenzie, he told them that they were delaying the coming of Jesus by fasting periodically thus directed them to fast continuously to hasten the process beginning with children, youth, women and elders then Mackenzie was to be the last one,” ODPP noted.
“He added that some parents protested Mackenzie’s directive that they can’t allow their children to fast till death and left the meeting with their children but those who were in support remained and enforced the directive,” ODPP added.
The witness also told the court that parents were assigned the duty of monitoring and ensuring their children follow the order of fasting and should not allow them to access the main road since they would mingle with the unholy who Mackenzie referred to as Wamataifa and curtail their journey to meet Jesus.
The ODPP stated that the witness told the court that when people died, they conducted funerals referring to weddings leading people to heaven.
He noted that he attended some of the funerals where he witnessed people celebrating and ululating as they buried the dead.He added that Mackenzie had appointed reporters in different settlements who were tasked with announcing his meetings and funerals to the people in Shakahola.