Grieving father testifies on losing 12 family members in Shakahola massacre
Titus Ngonyo Gandi narrated how his wife, Esther Birya Masha, drew their two sons, Harry and Isaack Ngala, into Mackenzie’s cult.
The Tononoka Children’s Court in Mombasa was gripped by emotion on Thursday as a 60-year-old man recounted how extremist teachings linked to Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church robbed him of twelve close relatives.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir, Titus Ngonyo Gandi narrated how his wife, Esther Birya Masha, drew their two sons, Harry and Isaack Ngala, into Mackenzie’s church.
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The pair abandoned their professions and family obligations after embracing the preacher’s teachings, which denounced education and formal employment as evil.
Harry, his wife and their five children all died in Shakahola forest. Isaack, who had once served in the General Service Unit (GSU), resigned from his post, convinced by Mackenzie that salaried work was ungodly.
His wife, a teacher, also left her government position to follow him, taking their three children along. Isaack, his wife and two of their children later perished in the forest, leaving only one surviving child, now under the care of Ngonyo
The elderly man explained that, out of the 12 family members he lost, he has only managed to bury two after DNA analysis confirmed their identities. One grandson remains missing. He described his surviving grandson as “the flower of my eyes”, adding that he prays for justice both for himself and for the boy.
Ngonyo told the court that his marriage deteriorated after his wife embraced Mackenzie’s doctrine, which openly rejected education and employment.
He recalled pleading with her to reconsider, warning that the sect’s teachings were misleading society and turning once-productive people into dependents who starved themselves in the name of faith.
The grieving father further recalled how Isaack withdrew his elder son, Seith, from school under the influence of the sect. He also gave a haunting account of the final meal he shared with his wife before she vanished into the forest, never to return.
During his testimony, he identified individuals associated with the cult, including Smart Mwakalama and Evans Sirya. He revealed that he had first seen Mackenzie in person during his wife’s burial, though he had previously come across him on social media.
Ngonyo appealed to the court to deliver justice swiftly, declaring that Mackenzie’s radical indoctrination had completely shattered his family.
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