Children’s Officer recounts how minors were rescued from Paul Mackenzie’s followers
Omar Mohamed, appearing as the 58th prosecution witness, recounted how the minors were discovered during investigations into the conduct of followers of self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie.
Three children who had been withdrawn from school and subjected to starvation in Kilifi were rescued from their parents and placed under government protection, a court heard on Thursday in the ongoing Shakahola massacre trial.
Ganze Sub-County Children’s Officer Omar Mohamed, appearing as the 58th prosecution witness, recounted how the minors were discovered during investigations into the conduct of followers of self-proclaimed preacher Paul Mackenzie.
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Omar told the court that on May 23, 2023, the Kilifi County Security Committee received information that several children linked to Mackenzie’s Good News International Church had stopped attending school.
The committee instructed children’s officers and other officials to investigate, leading to a series of visits to homesteads in Ganze Sub-County.
During the fact-finding mission, the officers found that parents had embraced Mackenzie’s teachings that condemned formal education as evil.
At one homestead, Omar met a man who openly denounced schooling and explained that his children were no longer attending classes.
Upon interviewing three minors, the officer discovered that the children had not only been pulled out of school but were also being forced to fast as part of Mackenzie’s radical doctrine.
The children were immediately removed from the home and taken to Malindi Police Station, before being placed at Blessed Generation Children’s Rescue Centre.
“They were given food, first aid, medical attention and counselling before being re-admitted to school,” he said.
He further revealed that one of the girls is now in Form Three at a high school in Nairobi, while the other children continue their studies.
Two parents accused of subjecting their children to fasting and denying them education are among Mackenzie’s co-accused, currently before the court.
They face charges of torture, cruelty to children and deprivation of basic education rights.
The court also heard from the 59th prosecution witness, Chief Inspector Klein Kulicha, a crime scene investigator.
He explained that on May 1, 2023, a team of officers visited Mackenzie’s church premises in Furunzi, where they collected photographic evidence of the compound, his Times TV studio, music systems, computers and religious literature.
The investigators also captured images of Mackenzie’s residence, both inside and outside, as part of the evidence.
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The hearing continues.
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