Five witnesses took the stand on Wednesday September 3, 2025, at the Tononoka Children’s Court, offering harrowing accounts in a case involving Paul Mackenzie, the alleged mastermind behind the Shakahola cult deaths, and 34 co-accused.

The group faces charges including child torture, cruel treatment, and denying children their right to education.

The session, presided over by Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir, featured testimony from police officers, family members, and a teacher.

One witness, Dominic Kahindi Mwakudza, said police had approached him about his brother, Felix Katana, who had four children not enrolled in school.

When questioned, Katana reportedly dismissed education as worthless.

“I advised him it was not lawful to deny children education… Eventually, I reported the matter to authorities, and the children were taken by the children’s department,” Mwakudza told the court.

He revealed that the children had been pulled out of school during the COVID-19 period, with the eldest dropping out in form 2.

Another emotional account came from Anne Kauchi, a Malindi resident who lost two siblings in Shakahola.

A former follower of Mackenzie’s Good News International Church, she recounted how sermons against education drove her to leave the cult.

“I chose to rebel against Mackenzie’s radical teachings,” she stated.

Despite her departure, her mother remained loyal to Mackenzie and withdrew Anne’s younger siblings from school. They eventually relocated to shakahola forest.

Anne later discovered her mother and sister, Elinah, were among the 429 victims, confirmed with DNA testing.

The court also heard from Senior Sergeant Cyrus Irungu, who investigated reports of starving families in the forest.

He described discovering a malnourished child and being led to burial sites where the child’s siblings had allegedly been buried.

The prosecution seeks to prove that Mackenzie’s extremist doctrines led to widespread abuse and deadly neglect.

The hearing resumes tomorrow, 4th September 2025, with five more witnesses expected to testify.