A 17-year-old teenager reported yesterday how she was forced to fast for 38 days in the Shakahola forest to hasten her death.

Witness testimony in the trial against Shakahola cult leader Paul Mackenzie and his 94 followers
The witness, whose name is not being used because she is under witness protection, said she survived for 38 days by stealing and drinking water every time her mother left the hut in Shakahola forest that was her home.

She recounted how, sometime last year, the self-proclaimed pastor suddenly announced to his followers, whom he had lured into the forest with the promise of acquiring cheap land, that they would henceforth begin fasting in order to speed up their appointment with Jesus Christ. He described the measure as an “express lockdown,” the witness told Mombasa’s chief magistrate Alex Ithuku.

“When the fast began, I witnessed the death of six children who were our neighbors. The father of these children is here in court. After their death, they were covered with baby scarves and buried in shallow graves, which were later leveled.

Her death was referred to as ‘kulala’ or ‘going to sleep,’” she said. She revealed how such deaths as
The consequences of starvation were announced during Saturday meetings to motivate Mackenzie’s followers to fast and hasten their deaths.

“Before we were rescued, I had fasted for 38 days. However, I always stole water and drank it when my mother left the house,” she explained.

The witness began her testimony with a detailed description of how her own mother forced her to leave school and join the hunger cult in the Shakahola Forest led by Paul Mackenzie.

School dropouts

The minor told the court that in 2020, she was forced to drop out of school in fourth grade without her father’s permission and was later taken to Mombasa by ferry.

“I still remember the day my mother picked me up from school. It was a Friday. She took me to Mombasa and after we arrived, we went to the church in Mpango Saba in Mishomoroni. It was one of the branches of Pastor Mackenzie, whom we called ‘Mtumishi’ (servant of God),” she said.

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

According to the witness, Mackenzie often preached against parents sending their children to school, calling it “evil.” He also preached to adults to quit their jobs and sell all their earthly possessions to go to heaven. He also preached against the use of modern medicine, calling it evil as well.

Moving to Chakama

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

The land was sold for 500 to 1,000 shillings. My mother was able to buy two acres of land and we moved to Chakama. After we arrived, we were supposed to settle in Shakahola,” she told the court. She told the court
how her mother, one of the defendants, sold all her possessions and only a mattress and utensils remained.

“On the day we were to move to Shakahola, we spent the night at Furunzi Church in Malindi and Mackenzie’s followers were transported in a truck christened ‘Times TV. The Final Trumpet’. Mackenzie was also in it,” the court heard.

She told the court that after arriving in the forest, they settled in a village called Galilea, where there were two tents, one for men and one for women.

“The next day we were instructed to move and get a temporary structure, which is now our new
At home there were guardians who were close to Mackenzie and who carried out the land distribution. One of them is
“Alex, whom we referred to as Alex wa mashamba, is one of the accused,” the witness said.

She said she was one of Mackenzie’s servants, along with her mother, and her job was to go door to door and spread the gospel, the court heard.

“There was no church in the forest and we often held meetings on Saturdays in a village called Judea. During one of these meetings, I was assigned as a servant to preach from door to door,” she explained.

The hearing will continue.