One of the witnesses in the Shakahola massacre case narrated to the court on Wednesday how her mother, who is an accused in the case alongside Pastor Paul Mackenzie, lured her to Shakahola Forest.
The woman, who is under witness protection, told Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku that her mother, one of the accused in the case, took her from Eldoret, and they boarded a bus to Mombasa.
The student, who had to drop out of school because of Mackenzie’s doctrines, said that upon arriving in Mombasa, her mother informed her that she would no longer attend school because it was considered evil.
The court heard that after staying in Mombasa for a while, they later moved to Malindi, where they regularly attended Mackenzie’s church services.
Testifying from the witness box, the woman recounted that her mother later purchased land in Shakahola, where they eventually relocated.
“My mother heard of land in Shakahola being sold at Sh1,000 per acre, and later the price went up to Sh1,500. She bought 2 acres,” she said.
She described how they boarded a truck labeled ‘The Last Trumpet’ and ‘New Times Church,’ along with other members and Mackenzie himself, which took them to Shakahola.
Upon arrival, they were given their respective land allocations, where they built houses, which were given names such as Jerusalem.
After a few weeks, they were told that they would begin fasting as a way to meet their Maker and avoid earthly problems.
She confirmed to the court that her mother is one of the accused facing manslaughter charges alongside Pastor Mackenzie.
According to her, the area chief in Shakahola appeared to have knowledge of the activities there, as he was often present during burial rituals.
Mackenzie and his co-accused are charged with a total of 238 counts of manslaughter related to last year’s Shakahola massacre.
