Hard truths. Bold Insights. Real talk.
Mackenzie, together with Shallyne Temba, Kahindi Garama, Tom Mkonwe, Julius Luwali and Johnson Richard, faces 29 counts of manslaughter. The prosecution alleges that the six jointly caused the deaths of 29 people between January and July 2025 at Kwa Binzaro in Chakama Location, Magarini Sub-County, Kilifi County. The case is continuing.
A Mombasa court has ruled Pastor Paul Mackenzie and 30 co-accused must answer 191 murder charges in the Shakahola case, after 121 witnesses and forensic evidence established a prima facie case.
In a pivotal ruling delivered on Thursday, the court determined that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against all the accused, effectively placing them on their defence in one of Kenya’s most shocking criminal cases.
The guilty plea marks a critical moment for prosecutors seeking to uncover the inner workings of the sect led by self-styled preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, accused of orchestrating a deadly regime of starvation, abuse, and forced obedience.
According to the prosecution, the indoctrination intensified between 2020 and 2023, when followers were instructed to cut ties with society, abandon education, reject medical care and disengage from state institutions.
A father in the Shakahola massacre trial told a Mombasa court he believes his four missing children are alive, rejecting DNA and postmortem findings identifying one exhumed body as his daughter.
Mackenzie, who has been in custody since March 2023, is already facing a string of charges including terrorism, radicalization, and manslaughter.
His arrest came after public complaints and alarming reports of fatalities tied to his spiritual practices.
That decision, rendered by Lady Justice Mugure Thande, had instructed the DPP to reduce the number of murder charges to a maximum of 12.
Murkomen clarified that the primary challenge in identifying the victims is not financial but rather the insufficient number of family members coming forward to provide DNA samples.