Shanzu — Inside a packed courtroom on Kenya’s coast, the picture emerging of Paul Nthege Mackenzie is that of a man who twisted scripture into something deadly.
Testimony given before Principal Magistrate Leah Juma on Wednesday laid bare the disturbing tactics Mackenzie allegedly used to radicalise followers of his Good News International Church. At the heart of it, prosecutors say, was a mix of apocalyptic preaching and conspiracy theories that led more than 400 people to their deaths in Shakahola forest.
Dr Oscar Githua, a forensic psychologist who examined several of the survivors, described a community cut off from the world physically, mentally and spiritually.
“They believed that death through starvation was a pathway to salvation,” Dr Githua told the court. “Some mothers assisted their children to die. It’s a level of radicalisation that’s extremely rare and deeply disturbing.”
Many followers, he said, showed signs of what he called “empathy delusion” a condition where helping a loved one die is mistaken for an act of love or spiritual duty.
Mackenzie’s sermons, according to the court, framed modern life as part of a satanic system. He reportedly branded Kenya’s national ID programme, Huduma Namba, as “the mark of the beast”. Other teachings condemned government institutions, health care, and even public education as evil.
Titles of his sermons included “The Fallen Babylon” and “The Constitution is the Devil’s Work”. At his compound, investigators recovered texts like The New World Order by American conspiracy theorist Ralph Epperson.
His message was consistent: the end of the world was near, and the only path to salvation was to isolate, obey, and reject all earthly authority.
The court heard that Mackenzie persuaded his followers to retreat to the remote Shakahola forest in Kilifi County, where they awaited what he called the “end times”. There, far from scrutiny, he tightened his grip.
“The isolation allowed for absolute control,” prosecutors said. “There was no one to question him, no outside influence.”
Comparisons were drawn to infamous cult tragedies: Jonestown in Guyana, the Ten Commandments sect in Uganda, and the Waco siege in the US. In each case, charismatic leaders turned closed communities into death traps.
But while those events happened decades ago, Dr Githua said, Shakahola is a reminder that such manipulation is still very real and still lethal.
As the case against Mackenzie continues, Kenyans are left to reckon with how so many lives were lost not just to hunger, but to belief.
The trial resumes next week, as the court continues to hear evidence from survivors and experts. Mackenzie, who has denied wrongdoing, remains in custody.
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