Witness says she lost two siblings in the Shakahola forest massacre

BY ERIC ABUGA

"A minor pointed to a flattened area in Shakahola forest where his brothers and sisters had been buried."

Tononoka Children’s Court has heard detailed testimonies from five witnesses in a case where  Shakahola massacre mastermind Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his 34  co-accused linked to the Shakahola massacre.

The accused facing charges of torture, cruelty to children, and denial of basic education.

Proceedings were presided over by Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir, with the witnesses including police officers, relatives of the accused and a  teacher giving their evidence.

One of the witnesses, Dominic Kahindi Mwakudza, told the court that police sought him out regarding his brother, Felix Katana, who had four children.

Police wanted to know why the children were not in school and upon inquiry, Katana told him he had opted to keep the children out of school, claiming education had no value.

“I advised him it was not lawful to deny children education. I even tried to find the best way to help, since our father took us to school. Eventually, I reported the matter to authorities, and the children were taken by the children’s department,” Mwakudza testified.

He added that the eldest child had been withdrawn from secondary school while in Form two, and that all four were removed from school during the COVID-19 period.

Another witness, Anne Kauchi, a resident of Malindi’s Serena area, testified that she lost two siblings in the Shakahola forest.

A former member of Good News International Church, she recalled that cult leader Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie preached that education was evil, prompting her to quit the church.

Her mother, Judith Farasi, however, withdrew her younger siblings from school and continued to attend Mackenzie’s services. Eventually, her mother and siblings relocated to the Shakahola forest.

Kauchi said her mother would frequently call to ask for financial support, and in February 2023, she visited her after the birth of her first child. 

During that time, she also spoke to her three siblings, but later, her mother told them they would not communicate again.

She later learned of mass deaths in Shakahola and discovered that her mother and sister, Elinah, were among the 429 victims who perished. 
Their identities were confirmed through DNA testing. “I chose to rebel against Mackenzie’s radical teachings."

The court also heard from Senior Sergeant Cyrus Irungu, who said two men reported missing relatives believed to be inside Shakahola forest.

The men told police that Emily Wanje, her husband Isaack Ngala, and their children were being starved. 

Irungu said he alerted Lango Baya OCS Chief Inspector Hamara Hassan, who directed him and two officers to accompany the men to the scene.

The team drove six kilometres before trekking nine kilometres into the forest, where they reached Ngala’s homestead. 
There, they found an elderly woman holding an emaciated boy.

Irungu testified that the woman was not related to the minor. When called by name, the boy said his mother had gone to attend a “wedding (funeral).”
Another relative, identified as HGN, questioned the boy about his siblings.

After hesitation, the child pointed to a flattened area where his brothers and sisters had been buried.

The officers later handed the minor to HGN after he narrated the deaths of his siblings.

The prosecution presented the testimonies to demonstrate how Mackenzie’s radical teachings influenced parents to starve children, withdraw them from schools, and cut ties with relatives.