A Mombasa judge Justice Diana Kavedza has ruled that controvesial peacher Paul Mackenzie and 30 co-accused have a case to answer in their Shakahola mass murder trial.
The prosecution was found to have presented enough evidence, meaning the accused must now take the stand in their own defence.
Justice Kavedza delivered the ruling on Wednesday, 15th April, 2026, finding that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had successfully established a prima facie case against all 31 accused persons on 191 counts of murder.
To get here, the prosecution called 121 witnesses, including survivors who lived to tell the story, expert witnesses, and investigating officers.
Postmortem reports and government analyst findings were also placed before the court as part of the evidence.
In her ruling, Justice Kavedza made it clear that certain facts are no longer up for debate.
Bodies of children were exhumed at Shakahola, some of which were identified and handed over to families for burial.
Relatives of some of the accused even took the stand themselves and confirmed the deaths of their own children, a chilling detail that added weight to the prosecution’s case.
Witnesses also placed several of the accused at the scene, describing them as village elders, guards, grave diggers, and cooks, each playing a different role within the Shakahola settlement.
The defense has now indicated they will give sworn testimony and call 12 witnesses, six of whom are experts, with the rest being the accused persons themselves.
Mackenzie, also known as Mtumishi and Nabii, alongside his co-accused, face 191 murder charges under Section 203 read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
It is worth noting that one of the original accused, Enos Amanya, the 7th accused, also known as Aleluya, already entered a guilty plea and is waiting to be sentenced. Wednesday’s ruling applies to the remaining 30.
The case is being handled by a team of prosecutors led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joseph Kimanthi and Jami Yamina, alongside Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ngina Mutua, and Principal Prosecution Counsels Victor Owiti, Betty Rubia, and Alex Ndiema, with Prosecution Counsel Yassir Mohamed also on the team.
