DPP tables 88 postmortem reports in Paul Mackenzie murder trial
In an emotional testimony, 60-year-old Titus Ngonyo Gandi recounted how he lost five members of his family during the Shakahola incident, including his wife, two children, one a GSU officer, his grandchild and daughter-in-law.
New accounts of loss, indoctrination and starvation emerged at the Mombasa High Court on Tuesday after the DPP tabled 88 postmortem reports in the murder case against Pastor Paul Mackenzie and 30 co-accused.
The reports detail how dozens of followers perished under extreme fasting orders and other directives issued by the controversial preacher.
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In an emotional testimony, 60-year-old Titus Ngonyo Gandi recounted how he lost five members of his family during the Shakahola incident, including his wife, two children, one a GSU officer, his grandchild and daughter-in-law.
Gandi told the court that the worrying behaviour of his wife, Esther Mbila, began in 2019 when she started preaching against children attending school or receiving any form of education.
“She also warned our neighbours against working for the government or acquiring government-issued documents such as birth certificates, identity cards, and academic certificates,” Gandi said.
“I have since buried my wife, two children, including my son who was a GSU officer, one grandchild and my daughter-in-law.”
A second witness, 23-year-old Robert Kithi, narrated how he fled Shakahola in 2023 after followers were instructed to begin fasting as a means of preparing to ascend to heaven. Kithi said the directive came during a meeting allegedly chaired by Mackenzie, who claimed it “came from God.”
Kithi told the court that he had previously attended the Good News International Church in Malindi, which was shut down in 2020 after Mackenzie declared the church’s mission “complete.”
He said Mackenzie later ordered followers to relocate to the Jagwani area in Shakahola to await the coming of the Messiah.
The witness explained that believers were told the rapture would occur three years after 2021, ending in mid-2023, prompting many followers to move to Shakahola. Opposed to the starvation orders, Kithi said he eventually escaped.
While living in Shakahola, Kithi had been assigned security duties, including guarding a dam from wild animals. He also described burying his two siblings in November, noting that his mother refused to allow him to retrieve their bodies, insisting the siblings had “gone to the Messiah.”
DCI officer Paul Oguta, based at the DCI headquarters, testified that he was sent to Shakahola after reports that two children had been secretly killed and buried. He described the scene, saying the team was shocked to find several individuals starving under a tree.
“I was assigned to take the post-mortem of the victims who had died at Malindi Mortuary, and others were assigned to conduct exhumation,” Oguta said.
“I attended 88 post-mortem exercises and produced the reports to the court, while witnessing the process myself.”
The prosecution also called the Registrar of Companies as a witness on Tuesday, contributing to the case against Mackenzie and his co-accused, who are facing charges related to the deaths of more than 191 people in Shakahola Forest due to extreme religious directives.
The trial continues as the ODPP builds its case, producing evidence to demonstrate the chain of events and the roles of Mackenzie and his co-accused in the deaths of the victims.
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