Mother of 10 left some of his children to their grandfather and moved to Shakahola forest

BY ERIC ABUGA

After collecting 333 samples from families who had reported missing loved ones, the Government was able to generate DNA profiles and compile two reports identifying 38 and 31 bodies respectively.Some of the bodies identified were confirmed to be children and relatives of the accused persons in the Shakahola cult deaths.

Henry Kiptoo, a Government Analyst at the Government Chemist Department in Nairobi told the Tononoka Children's Court that his team conducted DNA analysis on samples taken from bodies exhumed in Shakahola. 

Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchi is presidig over the ongoing trial against controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his 35 co-accused facing multiple charges including cruelty to children, torture, and denial of the right to education, all connected to the infamous Shakahola massacre.

Charles Adundo, an elderly man and grandfather, recounted how he used to care for two of his grandchildren after his daughter, a mother of 10, left them in his custody. 

He testified that his youngest son, the 35th accused, came one day and took the children from school, a moment that would mark the last time he saw them.

70-year-old Felida Vugusa from Kapkerer, gave an emmotional testimony about her daughter, Sarah Khahisha. She explained that Sarah became a mother at a young age and eventually had five children. 

One Sunday, while Felida was at church, her daughter, son-in-law Mulama, and all five grandchildren vanished, including one of the witnesses. She never saw them again. 

Felida added that the family had been attending a mysterious church she knew nothing about, and that Mulama was adamantly opposed to the children going to school.

Further forensic evidence was presented by Liwa Filbert, Director of the National Registration Bureau. He told the court how, upon request, they used fingerprint matching via Form C4 to verify the identities of suspects. 

While several suspects had given police false names, fingerprint analysis revealed their real identities, successfully identifying over 35 suspects involved in the case.

Adding to the human toll of the tragedy was 26-year-old Khadijah Wilson from Shakahola’s “Madukani” area, who told the court how she and her younger brother found a frail boy sleeping outside their shop. A

According to her, the boy said he had escaped from Mackenzie’s area, where he had been subjected to fasting and starvation.

She sheltered the boy for nearly four months after alerting a village elder, who helped contact children’s officers. The boy was eventually taken into custody for care and protection.

Khadijah testified that the boy was so malnourished and weak at the time of rescue that even school attendance was impossible. “If we hadn’t rescued him, he would have died,” she told the court.

The matter was adjourned to 19th September, 2025.